September 26, 1953 – June 6, 2021
A Walk On The Wild Side? Why, she stayed on that side of the curb since birth!
(Nelson Algren)
Her father liked to quip, “It took me eleven years ‘breaking my back’ to bring that girl into this world!” But never could someone have been born more out of place as Kathleen Mary Buniff was when she arrived on earth in oh-so-arid Bakersfield, California that scorching September of ‘53.
Perhaps intuiting that so parched a place was no fit for their baby girl, the couple from New Orleans - Egbert 'DUKE' Buniff, a WW2 vet, and his wife HAYDÉE – née Rodriguez - a teacher, kept moving westward ho! until they made it to the Pacific to rear their cherished one and only in Santa Monica. Kathleen, you see, was meant to be a pirate’s wench, and would grow up as if she were one. Naturally, water was important; salty and earthy and fluid, Kathy had a knack for good times and devilish camaraderie. She had a life-long love of outcasts and was quick to defend anyone whom she felt was being unfairly treated or spoken of.
She’d attended Saint Monica’s Catholic High School, and went on to USC where she earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees - English and Education respectively. Who’d athunk such a character would become a teacher! And an English teacher, to boot! Kathy, after all, did not feel alive if at least one rule a day was not broken! She also had a colorful and witty way with language. To say she talked like a sailor doesn’t tell the truth of it. Kathy had an extensive and impressive vocabulary, but yes, she never let a good expletive go to waste.
Kathy loved the kids nobody wants — teenagers — for their rebellious spirits and burgeoning senses of expression. As a high school teacher, she headed her English department, but became an easy favorite of the students when she founded a film club. She would take the kids to the cinema, then over pizza, have them critique what they’d seen and write their observations. She’d encourage debate, but everybody had to fight fairly. Though the joke was that Kathy was the corrupter of youth, truth was she was commended for saving a boy’s life when she talked the suicidal student out of jumping off a roof one tense afternoon.
Sadly, a series of strokes and the death of her love Arsenio took her out of the classroom.
But there was no stopping Kathy’s zest for life. She had been perfectly suited to the era to which she was born. Irreverent and playful, with her tall exotic looks, great mane of hair, and sexy style, she’d captured the glamour and ethos of the 70s. And in her later years, she could oft be found revisiting her heyday with friends at the Maui Sugar Mill and the Sage Brush Cantina. How she loved to dance! And imbibe, of course!
Life would eventually have her residing in the assisted living facility Courtyard Plaza. She thrived there, often joking she felt like she was on a cruise. And perhaps it was just that attitude that brought the spirit of the Love Boat alive, for it was there at the Plaza where Kathy found affection and companionship anew with a sweet gentleman named Robert.
He endured her Blue Bloods marathons – a show she loved for its lively dinner scenes. Kathy adored her family, you see, and was as true blue as they come. She took pride in both her Irish and Costa Rican ancestry. But having been an only child, she longed for the euphony of siblings. Perhaps to make up for that, Kathy spoiled her little cousins, taking them for spins in the convertible Peugeot she brought back with her from Europe and chaperoning many of their firsts – from drink to toque! Kathy loved giving gifts for absolutely no reason whatsoever.
She never met a dog she wouldn’t coo over, and in turn, even the orneriest beast found faith in her. She was Kathleen the Kitty Keeper at the Courtyard Plaza too, delighting in her self-appointed responsibility of feeding the strays.
She wasn’t one for weeding her garden, but oh! how she loved her herb.
There be many a lad who seek out their tonic, but this dusky wench loved only her chronic!
Now Kathy’s found her exit in a style as unexpected as her life was lived. She was loved and will be remembered in our smiles and laughter. Nothing else can fill the absence she leaves in her wake.
A 3 o’clock service will be held on Sunday, June 13th at
the Gates, Kingsley & Gates Praiswater Mortuary.
6909 Canoga Ave, Canoga Park, CA 91303
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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