Kara's obituary
Kara was an incredible person, known for her creativity, boldness, and commitment to living her truth.
On August 12, 1975, Kara's entrance into the world was as unique as she was. Born in the backseat of a 1957 Cadillac on the way to the hospital, her arrival was true to form and off of the beaten path.She was a creative and curious child who found a love for reading and music at a very early age. Kara enjoyed singing and playing the piano, which revealed her bold and expressive nature, a hallmark of her personality and behavior throughout her life.
At the age of five, she attended Gloria Whetstone's School of Dance, where she began instruction in the arts of ballet and tap dance by Laura Price and Jacquelyn Forcher. She took to dancing like a duck in a pond, and her dance lessons expanded to multiple lessons each week.
She started elementary school at John R Good and then moved to W.T. Hanes for 3rd through 5th grades. Always social, adventurous, and aspiring for achievement she quickly found her way to school plays and choir.
This led to her auditioning for the Irving Girls Choir, now Irving Children's Chorus, directed by Carol Schober, whom she admired and respected tremendously. Here, she performed her first choral solos and learned to enjoy the limelight in front of larger audiences. Kara enjoyed the comradery of her friends from school and looked forward to choir practice more than school.That is until she found electives in junior high at Crocket Middle School. At Crocket, she joined her peers in choir and drama, finding a deeper connection to both arts as creative opportunities arrived with much more freedom and personal influence. Writing skits, exploring new styles, and collaborating with fellow students delighted her and fueled her passion for connecting with others and self-expression.
Kara grew beyond school electives and made her way to independent theater as a cast member with Cornerstone Theater. Here, she found some of the most impactful and cherished moments of her life. From building sets to learning stage makeup and costuming, she would spend countless hours working with a tremendous group as a theater family. Through the cycle of auditions, script memorization, staging, dancing, and singing (when the show was a musical), set creation, rehearsal until late hours of the night on evenings and weekends, promotion, and developing deeply meaningful relationships, she found a home for her heart, and this ignited a flame that never went out.
Beyond theater, Kara continued her dance efforts with Riley's Dance School and Dana's Dance Academy. Discovering ballet on pointe shoes, she couldn't get enough and delved further with hip-hop and street-style dancing that had rapidly grown in popularity with the likes of Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul.
Kara went on to perform with the Irving Ballet and discovered a wonderous and enchanting experience as she danced in the annual Nutcracker suite gala event at the Irving Arts Center. There, she met professional and principal dancers, inspiring her to dream and push further.
Looking to step beyond her boundaries, she auditioned and joined the cast of Mame, her first encounter with a show that had been performed on Broadway. Of course, some of the adult themes (which are mild compared to today) pushed past her parents' boundaries, and she had to plead her case to participate as the show's youngest cast member at 15 years old. The show ran without a hitch, and Kara got to see even further beyond the veil, fueling a desire to understand the world of Broadway shows with favorites including A Chorus Line, Les Misérables, and, of course, Cats.
This brings us to a very important segue: Kara's passion for animals. From her first cat Sissy and first dog Suzy, Kara couldn't get enough of anything fuzzy and cute. This led to a myriad of pets over her lifetime, from hamsters, gerbils, and really smart rats to her favorite, cats. Anything cat had her attention. So much so that I (her brother) nicknamed her "Meow," and that is how she is listed on my phone to this day.
Once more than one cat was allowed at home, the floodgates were opened, and Kara always had two or more cats at home. Sometimes, this meant up to half a dozen or, on occasion, more (usually due to a litter being rescued as all of her cats were).
While she had no children of her own, she transcended the typical human and animal experience to see them as beings much like herself who had the same needs and desires. She found great joy in fulfilling those needs and felt tremendous satisfaction in sharing love with beings who didn't judge, try to control her, or misrepresent who they were. While not achieving the level of "crazy cat lady," she exhibited her tremendous capacity for caring and loving others, including working for the Irving Humane Society to bathe, walk, and care for orphaned and homeless animals.
Throughout her life, Kara has always found projects and initiatives connected with her values. At any given time, she was helping someone find a job, a home, or a car. Sometimes, that person was me. I always appreciated having a strong sibling who wasn't afraid to take on life regardless of what other people thought.
Kara's life was all about authenticity and self-expression. She encouraged everyone around her to embrace their true selves and live life fully. As an event organizer and performer, she helped countless individuals break free from societal constraints and find their own paths. Kara's legacy is one of courage, compassion, and unwavering dedication to helping others live their best lives.
Kara, you were an inspiration to so many. Your spirit will continue to live on in our hearts and in the lives of those you touched. Rest in peace, dear sister. You will be deeply missed but never forgotten.
