Mae Kathleen Sage

Mae Kathleen Sage known to her friends and family as Kathleen, died on February 20, 2007, at the age of eighty-five. Kathleen was born in Deridder, Louisiana, on November 19, 1921, the only daughter of William Arthur and Beulah Mae Sage. Her brother William, Jr., died in 1975. After the family moved to Tucson, Kathleen attended Tucson High School and subsequently earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in art and education at the University of Arizona where she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. She continued with her affiliation with Gamma Phi Beta as Chapter Advisor and later as Regional Financial Advisor. She also attended the Columbia University in the summers to further her studies in art. After graduating from the University, she returned to Tucson High where she taught for over thirty-five years, having achieved the positions of Art Department Chair and sponsor of the yearbook, which received many national honors over the years. Kathleen remained active even after retirement: she was docent at the Arizona Historical Society and was a talented artist in her own right. The media she worked in were many, and one of her crowning achievements was her Kachinas carved in cottonwood root and cast in sterling silver. Aunt Kathleen, as she was known to her family, is survived by two nieces, Dale Wright and Elizabeth Conelly; two grand-nieces, Kim Wright and Kelly Eisenhour and her children; and two grand-nephews, Jon Conelly and his children and Chris Conelly, as well as her much-loved pets. The time and place for a memorial service are yet to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Humane Society of Tucson.