Kathleen Louise Harrell

Kathleen Louise Harrell passed away peacefully from liver cancer on October 7, 2025, at age 74.

Raised in the small town of Denison, TX, Kathleen took part in cheerleading in high school. After marrying at a young age to artist, John Contaser, she had her first child, John. Kathleen married for the second time to Frank Harrell and gave birth to daughter, Jessica. She stayed home to raise the children and managed a tight ship of a household throughout multiple moves across Texas, California, Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and even Toronto. She traveled the world on adventures but eventually moved back home to Texas to be near her family.

Kathleen had many artistic talents and enjoyed sewing, needle point, decorating, and watching marathons of Storage Wars, American Pickers, and Jamie Oliver. She challenged herself to learn new things such as taking college classes, pottery classes and starting an upholstery business before falling and breaking her shoulder. She loved playing cards and spending time with friends and family and hosting wild costumed Halloween parties and large Thanksgiving meals. Kathleen's boisterous personality attracted fun-loving friends wherever she went. Scottish, English, and Canadian friends loved her thick Texan accent. Friends loved not knowing what would come out of her mouth next and appreciated her sarcastic and brazen demeanor. Upon meeting her longtime Canadian boyfriend, Gary Smith, she demanded to see his driver's license, insisting his name was "made up" because it was too simple. Gary showed his license as proof, and they hit it off immediately. She had impeccable taste and extremely high standards, but she saw the highest potential in everyone and always helped anyone who needed it. She would lose dishes from giving away leftovers time and time again. Kathleen was tough and charming and had a heart of gold. She was quick to defend her loved ones, once punching a man in a bar who insulted her husband. When friends' kids acted up, they would threaten to send them over to Kathleen's for discipline. There are countless memories of how she pushed people to be better versions of themselves. Kathleen was one of a kind and will be sadly missed.

She was preceded in death by grandparents Amzi and Lettie Barr, and Richard and Josephine Graham, mother Shirley Bound, father John Graham, stepfather Tom Bound, brother Stephen Graham, brother David Graham (infant), and sister Janice Andrews.

She is survived in death by sister Barbara Foster, daughter Jessica Le Strat (husband Yannick and 2 children Amelie and Julia), and son John Conatser (wife Amy and 3 children Jordan, Autumn, and Summer), and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A small private ceremony will be held at Fairview Cemetery.

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