Kathy Sanders

Funeral services for Kathy Sue Sanders, 49, of Austin will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 21, 2014, at Cook-Walden Chapel of the Hills at 9700 Anderson Mill Road in Austin. Burial will be at 1 p.m. on Friday at Bell Plains Cemetery in Salado.

Kathy died on Saturday, March 15, 2014, at her daughter Beth’s home after a brave battle with cancer. She was surrounded by family members and dear friends.

Kathy was born on April 23, 1964, in Fort Worth, the daughter of Pete and Judy Mulholland.

She attended schools in the Houston area and in Harlingen and Los Fresnos, where she graduated in 1983.

Kathy was a district and regional champion in the 800 meters for Los Fresnos, qualifying for the state track meet in that event and setting a school and district record.

Kathy’s passion for sports carried throughout her life, never forgetting the sacrifices that all athletes endure to compete. Though always athletic, Kathy did not win her first race until her senior year, and then she never stopped winning.

She placed or took first in every race her senior year and kept pushing herself as a dedicated over-achiever all the way to Austin.

Kathy believed, though she never bragged, that she had overcome self-doubts and gained confidence in her senior year, finally allowing her to win.

Though her athletic exploits were well known in the Rio Grande Valley, Kathy never lost empathy or compassion for those who did not win, in sports or life.

Moved to tears as the national anthem played at any sporting event, she once remarked: “Someone is about to lose.”

She often said: “I’m rooting for the under- puppies.”

Kathy attended Texas A&I University in Kingsville on an academic scholarship (although she could have also sought an athletic scholarship) and Baylor University.

While at Texas A&I, Kathy was elected by her fellow students to the Student Senate after a spirited campaign. Kathy was a dedicated senate member, championing students’ rights and fighting diligently for those causes even when it was unpopular. Quick to make friends, she quickly became a household name around campus and was particularly close to A&I’s many international students.

In the senate and throughout her life, Kathy fought for fair treatment for others, particularly for the not so rich or influential. And she wasn’t afraid to make an enemy while going to bat for a friend or family member.

She married Roy Edward Sanders on Dec. 27, 1986, in Ricardo, and they had two children, Charles Ed- ward (Chuck) Sanders, born Sept. 29, 1987, in Kingsville; and Elizabeth Ostine (Beth) Sanders, born March 29, 1991, in Temple.

She had two grandsons, Darin Logan Van Hoose, born Nov. 6, 2006 in Bryan, and Julius Anthony Jasso, born Nov. 6, 2008, in Temple.

Kathy will be forever remembered as a loving, doting mother and grandmother, showering her family with love, affection and encouragement.

Kathy worked in a variety of jobs over the years as a store clerk in various locations in South and Central Texas, later as a water chemist in Caldwell after extensive training and finally as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) in Austin, returning to college to get certified and starting a whole new career in her late 40s.

She also worked with her mother and sister in their ceramics shop they called “Sisters Creations” in Belton.

Kathy enjoyed ceramics, gardening and reading as hobbies and was intelligent and knowledgeable on a wide variety of topics. Her vegetable gardens were always a success with her special touch.

She is also remembered as a kind, loving and loyal friend to many, and quick to burst into a hearty laugh.

Kathy also loved animals of all kinds, and they had a special, immediate bond with her. Her cherished friend “Sonny Ray,” a golden retriever she raised from a pup, was her sidekick for 13 years until his death in 1997. Kathy was preceded in death by her brother Christopher Mulholland in 2000.

She is survived by her children, Chuck Sanders of Temple, and Beth Sanders of Austin; her mother Judy Tijerina of Belton; her father Pete Mulholland of Houston; her brother Mike Mulholland of Alvin; her grandsons, Darin Van Hoose of Austin and Julius Jasso of Houston. Memorials may be made to a charity of choice.