Former Malibu resident Kathleen Harris died from cancer on March 30.
Kathleen was a “native” Californian, born Feb. 10, 1957, in Santa Monica to Mr. and Mrs. William P. Harris.
They lived in Santa Monica on 19th Street. Her sister, Suzanne, moved in later that year. “Everyone thought they were twins,” according to Kathleen’s mother. “Life was cozy until they outgrew their space.”
After searching the real estate in Santa Monica, the family found a better deal in Malibu on Las Flores Mesa. “I always dreamed of building our own home… we found a builder that would do the framing and we would finish the interior,” Kathleen’s mother recalled. “We made a deal! It was October and there was a warm wind blowing. We were in one week when Malibu rolled out the red carpet with a brush fire. Fortunately, we escaped any loss but that was just the beginning.
“Our son, Daniel, joined us in September 1962.”
The Las Flores Mesa is right above The Malibu Times’ office and the children often did miscellaneous office jobs for Malibu Times founding publisher Reeves Templeman.
“The children claimed Malibu ‘home,’” she wrote.
After high school, Kathleen went to Cal State Northridge and then to Loyola Marymount University and graduated with a master’s degree in finance. She was hired by Raytheon and moved to Redondo Beach to be close to work. In her free time, she loved bike riding and going to Manhattan Beach.
“Just when she had gotten settled down, she was transferred to Denver, Colo.,” her mother wrote. “She recently retired with honors and was enjoying life with friends and favorite sports when cancer stopped her.”
She died on March 30, 2020. Her burial was set to take place in Aurora, Colo., on April 8, 2020, with a memorial to be scheduled in the future.