Kathleen Axsom

- – Kathleen “Kathy” Pritts Axsom, 95, died peacefully on August 4, 2019. She is predeceased by her husband, Robert Clifford Axsom (1922-1996).

Born in Ohio, daughter of a stay-at-home mother and a coal miner, Kathy was raised on the family farm. In 1943 she moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she met her husband upon his return from military service.

In 1948, they moved to Los Angeles where they started a family: Margo and Karen. In 1958 they purchased a business in Phoenix, where they worked together every day until they retired and sold the business.

Kathy and Bob loved to travel and saw most of the United States, western Canada, northern Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia. When Bob passed away in 1996, she began traveling with her good friend Winnie Dunford; together they saw much of western Europe, eastern Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, and even Turkey. Some of Kathy’s best memories are of her traveling days.

Shortly after her 80th birthday, Kathy moved to Friendship Village Tempe, where she made many friends and volunteered in the Gift Shop, Library, and at the front desk in the Healthcare Center. She later moved to the Healthcare Center, where she passed away.

In addition to traveling the world, Kathy was a licensed pilot and once owned a Cessna 150, which she and Bob flew all over the US and Mexico. She studied Spanish and belly dancing, but more than anything else she loved to read. She found great beauty in the Southwestern desert, where she lived for over sixty years.

Kathy leaves behind her two daughters, a son-inlaw (Craig Mixon) and a daughter-in-law (Peggy Giron), all of whom will miss her greatly, as well as a much loved niece and nephew. In addition, the generous staff at Friendship Village Tempe have been endlessly supportive.

Final services will be exclusive to her family.