LIFE TRIBUTES:
Obituaries and remembrances.
Katherine Lee Barnes Allen peacefully departed this life August 10, 2017. She was quickly adopted and brought to Houston after her birth in San Antonio September 11, 1941. A West End native, Kathy at-tended Reagan High School where she was happy her English teacher allowed her to graduate with a failing grade after she promised she would use her cosmetology license and never attend college. After high school, Kathy met the love of her life, Harley R. Allen while the two worked together downtown at Fo-ley’s Department Store. The two married after a one year courtship and eventually settled in the Garden Oaks area. Kathy grew up in the beauty business, her mother had her own shop next to their West End home. Beauty was Kathy’s pride and passion, she soon left salon work to devote herself fully to beauty product sales and distribution throughout the city of Houston. Anyone who came into contact with Kathy was immediately impressed with her diligent work ethic, flirtatious manner, and wicked sense of humor. After Harley was met with a sudden violent death, Kathy drifted for a while and tired of life as usual, she longed for a new challenge. That challenge came in the form of helping to introduce a new concept of property managed salon suites to the city of Houston, Salon Park. Her name recognition and networking in the beauty business helped Salon Park get a footing in Houston, eventually expanding to now 5 loca-tions. Through her work with Salon Park, Kathy coached and nurtured multiple stylists, techs and thera-pists, developing their businesses and their friendships along the way. Never sick a day in her life, Kathy was suddenly diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer at 72 years old. It was a long and uphill battle against a vicious disease. Kathy and her family are deeply grateful for the cutting edge and compassionate care provided by the Cancer Team at The Methodist Hospital Houston - Fannin. Cancer converted a beautiful, healthy and vibrant woman into a shell of her former self but it never took her spirit or her wonderful sense of humor. Kathy is preceded in death by her parents Felton Barnes, Esther Clark Barnes and her husband of 24 years Harley R. Allen. She is survived by her daughter, Pamela K. Allen Morin and her grandson, Michael Charles Morin. A Memorial Service to celebrate Kathy’s life will be held Monday, Au-gust 14 at 11am at Heights Funeral Home, 1317 Heights Blvd. Flowers or donations to the American Cancer Society in Kathy’s honor are appreciated.