Kathleen Armstrong

Kathleen was born March 15, 1954, in Los Angeles. Her parents--Maynard, a truck driver, and Eileen, a waitress--brought Kathleen home to older siblings JoyLea, Gary and Peggy. Younger sister Wanda joined the family when Kathleen was 6. In the next few years, her parents' marriage ended, and Kathleen assumed her first major responsibility: caring for Wanda while Eileen worked long hours.

Eileen's next relationship brought sister Vicky into Kathleen's life.

Maynard remarried, providing Kathleen with loving stepmother Malinda and twin sisters Amy and Julie. At 16, Kathleen was irritated by passersby who assumed she was the twins' mother as she helped Malinda on grocery runs.

Kathleen moved in with her father and stepmother for her final year of school in West Covina, where she graduated with the 1972 class of Edgewood High School. While still in high school, Kathleen started her first paying job as a Thrifty Coffee Shop waitress. Her friendly smile, endless energy and perfectionism kept her in tips as she spent the next 10 years serving in upscale restaurants.

During this time, Kathleen met and married Douglas Armstrong. The marriage lasted 25 years, and with it came the roles of wife and caring stepmother to son Zachary. The family first made their home next to the ocean in Surfside and later at Sunset Beach.

In her Sunset Beach apartment, just steps from the sand, Kathleen was a welcoming hostess to a nonstop stream of family and friends. Even after she moved a few miles inland to Huntington Beach, "Aunt Kathy's" was still the first-choice vacation spot for nieces and nephews hoping to spend a few days playing in the surf or searching for shells with their favorite aunt.

Her older nieces and nephews remember Aunt Kathy as water-ski instructor to anyone brave enough to learn. She spent many happy hours cruising the California Delta, in her bikini, behind the wheel of a boat. Kathleen so loved her days on the water that she and close friends eventually purchased a vacation home in Parker, Arizona.

In the early '80s, "Chatty Kathy," as her father called her, found her true calling in a career that married her loves for meeting people, striking a good deal and unlimited access to beauty products. In her 25-plus years as a sales representative, Kathleen's associates and clients valued her dedication, warmth and honesty. To many, she was a member of their family.

In more recent years, Kathleen explored new interests as she traveled the world in search of the perfect red wine. She realized her dream trip in September 2011, when she joined friends for a holiday in Sorrento, Italy.

Known as Kathy to family and Kathleen when given the choice, her most cherished title became Grandma, when granddaughter Alexis entered her life. Kathleen and Alexis spent their weekends together whipping up recipes in the kitchen, watching movies from their favorite chairs and sharing late-night talks in bed.

In 2007, Kathleen was diagnosed with breast cancer. She faced the disease with a determination to not let illness slow her down. Her positive outlook and laughter over the absurd were an inspiration to the caregivers and patients she met with often. Kathleen's journey ended September 26, with her sisters and nieces holding her hands. Through it all, she remained stylish Kathleen, adventurous Aunt Kathy, spirited sister and doting Grandma.