Kathy (Catalina) Soledad Brais

IN LOVING MEMORY OF KATHY S. BRAIS



BIRTH



Born December 16, 1953, Catalina (Kathy) Soledad Brais (Maiden name: Ojeda) was a beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, friend and church member. She was born and raised in San Jacinto, CA to her parents Teresa (37) and Daniel (33) Ojeda. Catalina was the youngest of her four siblings, weighing 7 lbs. 9 oz. when she came into the world at 3:11 a.m. She was born at the Hemet Valley Hospital and raised in San Jacinto, CA.



CHILDHOOD



They brought Kathy home to their small rented house on the corner of Artesia and Alessandro in San Jacinto, CA. It was a small two-story house with a staircase leading up to two bedrooms on the second floor and the bathroom outside. The house also had a basement with an entrance through the kitchen. It was crowded with mom, dad, Danny, Ralph, Teresa, Jane, and baby Kathy but everyone looked out for the new baby.



Kathy was very healthy and playful. As she grew up, she spent a lot of time outdoors with her siblings. They caught lady bugs in jarshundreds of them. The girls liked to play hop scotch and jax and could spend hours playing in the trees. Every two weeks (when books were due), the sisters would walk to the San Jacinto library to pick up four books each. Once they read one, they would trade books with each other and then repeat the process every two weeks.



There were two dairies down the road from the house. Grandma and grandpa Almanza lived just down the street on Artesia, as well, in a house they built when they moved from Mexico. Their house had a large space for gardening and also had some chickens and other animals.



When they were bored one time, they had a great idea: go to the end of the street, lay down in the road, and see who would be the last one to stay laying down before a milk truck or car drove through. They had fun with that game until one of the neighbors saw them and quickly told their momthat was the end of that!



Around her middle school years, Kathy became interested in sewing. The sisters would go to the fabric store and buy simple patternsdresses, bags, etc.and would work for hours on their creations. Kathy dreamed of having her moms singer sewing machine one day.

When Grandfather Fernando died, grandma wanted to move to Los Angeles to her other house, so the Ojedas saw a good opportunity and bought their house in 1959. That house is where the kids were raised through high school, and where their father would live until he passed away suddenly in 2005.



ADOLESCENCE & TEENAGE YEARS



Kathy was an avid reader, like the rest of her siblings. She taught herself to play the guitar. In 1968, Ralph moved out of the house because he got married to Trica. They had two children, Trisha and Laura in 1968 and 1969. Before long, Teresa and Danny moved out as well and it was just Jane and Kathy living at home with their parents.



When Kathy started high school, the Flower Power message was prominent throughout the country. The girls would iron their hair (on the ironing board) and lay their jeans in the road and drive over them with the car to get that hippy look. Kathy loved to wear high heels.



In high school, Kathy was involved in the Spanish Club and the Glee Club. She performed in Finians Rainbow, one of the high school musicals. She loved singing with her classmates and had a lot of fun. Her best friend (and Janes best friend, too) was Kathy Ori.



She was well-known on campus and even participated in the Homecoming Court one year. She was an exceptional student who was recognized in the paper for her academics, along with other honor students.



Her first car was a yellow Datsun. It cost $200, but she didnt have enough money of her own so her sister Jane gave her the money. Her first job was at the San Jacinto Library where she learned the basics of being a Librarian.



In June of 1972, Kathy graduated high school. Dreams come true in 72 was the motto of her senior class.



COLLEGE YEARS



Kathy started college at Mt. San Jacinto College in the Fall of 1972. She quickly earned an Associates degree in Social & Behavioral Science and was ready to transfer. Her brother Danny had previously attended and graduated from Cal State Long Beach in 1971, and in the Fall of 1974 she began attending. She got an A in Gymnastics during her first semester there. The school colors were brown and gold, and there was an actual football team that meant a lot for school spirit.



Like her siblings before her, she stuck with education and earned her bachelor's degree from Cal State Long Beach in 1976. Her degree was a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology.



A SPECIAL TRIP



In September of 1973, Kathy took a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Mexico. Danny and Kathy were the only single ones, as Jane had gotten married to Randy Cowles and Teresa was married to Art Lilly.



They took the bus from Tijuana to Morelia, Michoacan where their father Daniel grew up. They visited with tio Alfredo and his family for a few days. After that, they took the train to Mexico City where they could visit with the rest of their family, including: Tia Catalina (who Kathy was named after) and her children.



They flew home to LAX and returned with great memories of taking their father back to Mexico since first immigrating to the US in 1952.



WORKING AND SINGLE



From 1975-1981, Kathy lived in Pico Riveravery close to her brother Danny and also her tio and tia Fernando and Victoria. During those years, she worked for the Pacific Bell phone company. Eventually, she moved into a management role.



She kept close with her girlfriends Rosemary, Debbie, and Nancy. She was always fun to be around and enjoyed dancing a lot.



MEETING THE LOVE OF HER LIFE



Paul came onto the scene because of a job he had that took him out-of-state. At the time, he was working for a company based in his home state of Ohio. They would send him out-of-state frequently, and one of those timesMay 29, 1981 to be exacthe met Kathy at the Red Onion, a restaurant and night club.



On April 9, 1982 Paul proposed to Kathy and she said Yes!





They were madly in love, and Paul made the bold move to move his belongings and two dogs Shorty and Red with him from his place in Ohio to California. He was excited to make a new life with the woman of his dreams. Kathy searched for the house while Paul was in Connecticut and decided on the Hayward House. It was a three-bedroom house on Hayward St. in Whittier, CA. There was a beautiful avocado tree in the backyard and some of the neighbors were close friends like the Estrellas (Dave & Debbie) and the Martinezes (Angie and Cleo).



On Saturday, December 11, 1982 the two were married. They honeymooned at the Sheraton Long Beach for their first night as a married couple and drove up the coast to San Francisco, stopping at Solvang on the way and taking couples portrait photos.



When they first got married, Paul was working at Gerber Scientific as a field service technician. Kathy continued to work as a manager at Pacific Bell.



CHILDREN & GRANDCHILDREN



Nathan Paul Brais was born November 18, 1985 at Whittier Presbyterian Hospital. From a young age, Nathan was introduced to music by his fatherbeginning piano at the age of three. For elementary school, he attended Mulberry (The Hooters, grades Kindergarten through second) and Leffingwell (The Leopards, third grade through fifth). He attended Granada Middle School and got involved in the school band in seventh and eighth grades. Nathans involvement during those years included Mexican Folklorico dance, t-ball and baseball, karate, and skateboarding.



After graduating middle school, Nathan began at La Serna High School in Whittier. He was involved with marching band, concert band, jazz band, the school musicals, plays, choir, and ASB throughout his high school years. He graduated from La Serna in June of 2003. He attended Cal State Long Beach for his first degree, a bachelor of arts in English Education with an emphasis in Creative Writing, awarded in May of 2008.



On August 23, 2008, Nathan married his high school sweetheart Kimberly Anne Ingham. They began their married life living together in Long Beach while the both of them continued to pursue their educational goals. Kimberly earned her bachelor of arts in Human Development and Nathan earned his master of science in Counseling in the same year, 2011. Nathan works in higher education as a manager in Student Services at a local community college. Kimberly has worked in memory care facilities for seniors, foodservice, and at a local community college as an office staff member. She cares for her two children full-time and is passionate about teaching music.



Scarlett Teresa Brais was born January 19, 1988 at Whittier Presbyterian Hospital. She was the baby of the extended family for years. She also began music at a very young age, even as young as two. Kathy got her involved in dance (tap, ballet, jazz) and supported her development in performing arts throughout her childhood. Scarlett went to Leffingwell Elementary and Granada Middle School. She was involved in the choir at Granada and made friends with classmates who continue to be friends to her today.



Scarlett also went to La Serna High School, graduating in 2006. She was involved in dance team, musicals, choir, and plays. Upon graduating, she began at Cal State Long Beach as a music major. She got involved with various vocal performance groups and finished with a bachelor of arts in Music Performance upon graduating in 2010. Scarlett is a working musician and music teacher who is passionate about her original music and educating the youth to be future musicians and performers.



On October 23, 2013, Elijah Nathan Brais was born at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Murrieta, CA. He is the first grandson to both sides of grandparents. Kathy is known as Abuelita or Lita to Elijah. On March 17, 2016 Eliana Lily Brais was born at Kaiser Hospital in Irvine, CA. Both children enjoyed cuddling, playing, sleeping, and being babysat by Abuelita. Kathy adored her grandchildren.





A CAREER CHANGE



In 1990, Kathy left the private sector and found a job as the Telephone Services Coordinator. She worked in that position for about two years, making lasting friendships and learning many new skillsas needed in an educational institution.



In 1993, after resigning from her position as the Telephone Service Coordinator, she began teaching at the middle school level. She began working at Hargitt Middle School in Norwalk, CA as a sixth grade teacher. She was passionate in working with students who came from disadvantaged backgrounds and learned a lot in the position. During her early years as a teacher, she coordinated the annual Career Day events. An opportunity came up a few years later to work at Benton Middle School, where she taught language arts, mathematics, health, history, and social studies. She put extra time into her job because she truly cared for the students she served. She made a huge impact on her fellow teachers, administrators, and many students.



Kathy was an inspirational teacher. She loved to educate her students about social issues and challenged them to think outside the box. Although work was often stressful for her, she never allowed it to spoil her visionary spirit and always managed to inspire students and colleagues to do more and do better.



She continued working until she needed to focus all of her time on being treated for her illness.



ILLNESS



In the summer of 2014, Kathy was diagnosed with Stage IV non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The news was devastating to the whole family, but she fought through the feelings of despair and underwent aggressive chemotherapy treatments for nearly two years. She encountered many setbacks through the course of her treatments, but she showed resolve and hope in spite of the odds with the support of a wonderful family behind her at every step.



She took comfort in family time with her husband, children, and grandchildren. She often said she felt like she was being healed when she would hold baby Elijah, and later Eliana. She made a positive impact on all the doctors and hospital staff she met through the course of her treatments, especially at City of Hope.



More recently in August and September, Kathy had turned a corner in her battle and received news that 75% of her cancer was clear. With hope and optimism, she made the decision to pursue a major stem cell transplant treatment at City of Hope Cancer Hospital in Duarte, CA. Her son was the donor for her stem cells.



In the course of this treatment, there was an unexpected complication due to a fungal infection that quickly became critical. On Thursday, October 20, 2016 Kathy was released from her illness and taken home in Jesus' arms with her family present.





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As to be expected, Kathy will be missed deeply by many. Her husband Paul, daughter Scarlett, and son Nathan will miss her every day. She also has one grandson and one granddaughter. Her brothers Danny and Ralph and sisters Teresa and Jane were all with her in her last days.Nieces and nephews include: Adriana, Corina, Dianna, Randee, Rhiannon,Shannon, Trisha, Laura, Ralphie, Richie, Andy, Lauren, Roman, Gabriel, Meadow, Ruby, Vincent, Ava, Oliver, Eli, Alanna, Jayden, Danny, Matt and Denise.



She leaves behind a legacy of unconditional love, family values, faith in God, and passion for education. She was a courageous person who inspired everyone she came into contact with.



May she rest now in peace.



A public viewing will be held on Thursday, October 27, 2016, 6pm, at St. Bruno's Catholic Church, 15740 Citrustree Road, Whittier, California, 90603.

A Vigil will be held at 7pm, also on Thursday evening at St. Bruno's Church.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, October 28, 2016, 10am at St. Bruno's Church with interment following at 2pm at the San Jacinto Valley Cemetery, 2555 S. Santa Fe Ave., San Jacinto, California 92583.