Kathryn Dorothy Bathurst's Obituary
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Kathryn Dorothy
(Brunell) Bathurst
Nov 14, 1944 - Jan 31, 2026
Kathryn Dorothy (Brunell) Bathurst, age 81, of New Port Richey, Florida, died on January 31, 2026. She was born on November 14, 1944, in Monroe, Michigan, to George and Pauline Brunell.
Kathy (Kathryn) passed away peacefully in her sleep, and on the wings of angels, flown into the loving arms of her family awaiting her in Heaven, her time on earth for bringing joy and happiness to family and all who were fortunate enough to have known her had come to an end. She was, indeed, a beautiful miracle of God's creation and whoever's life she touched, they felt her loving spirit, heard the beautiful sound of her voice and knew the kindness and caring of her heart. This was the essence of her life and true being which she shared freely with everyone.
Kathryn grew up on her parent's, George (Thomas) and Pauline (Barron) Brunells farm in South Rockwood, Michigan with her older brother, Russell, and identical twin sisters, Alma and Edna. She had her own horse as a very young girl whom she named, Trigger, after her favorite cowboy on TV, Roy Roger's famous horse. As an adult, she and her young daughter, Valerie, dressed in a little cowgirl outfit, were thrilled to meet Roy and take a picture with him which remains a family treasure.
Kathy (Kathryn) attended Air Port High School. She met her future husband, Bruce, in high school at a dance and after school they were married in 1962. As they would like to say, they have been dancing their lives away together ever since. They were blessed with the birth of their beautiful daughter, Valerie, the joy of their lives. They would spend their vacations traveling around the country camping and taking in all the beauty and wonder our country has to offer. Later, when grandsons arrived, they did the same with them. After retiring they would travel to many parts of the world.
Kathy worked in department stores as a cashier, as well as, at a florist as a floral arranger. For the last 20 years, before retiring, she was employed at two school systems, Taylor and Trenton, Michigan as a school bus driver. She spent many years driving the Special Education children, whom she enjoyed so much and dearly loved and they loved her.
Kathy and Bruce moved to Florida in 2002 from their home on a lake in northern Michigan near West Branch. They moved into their new home at the River Ridge Country Club and soon became very active in their new community. Kathy joined the Women's Club and loved working with her friends contributing her talents with various projects to raise money for charities. She was a talented artist in oil and watercolor painting. She enjoyed painting pictures of our pets, as well as, relatives and friend's pets over the years. A grandson has a treasured painting of a mountain she did for him when we took him on a trip out west to see the Rockies, as a young boy
In 2004, Kathy was a contestant in the "Ms. Senior America Contest" for Florida at Sun City. She sparkled during the talent portion of the event singing with her beautiful voice and was a knockout in her red satin gown in the beauty portion. It was a beautiful and unforgettable evening in her life. Kathy and Bruce enjoyed singing at karaoke venues and they would sing and dance the night away two or three nights a week. Soon they were performing in local theatrical musicals and other venues. They also got their youngest grandson, Brett, involved, too, and had such fun together. On the year of their 50th Anniversary, 2012, Bruce told Kathy that he thought that he had an idea for an act which could possibly get them on the popular television show "America's Got Talent". So he asked her to make their leopard skin jungle costumes similar to what Tarzan and Jane wore in the movies. Bruce named their new song and dance act, "Jungle Man Bruce And The Leopard Lady". They then choreographed their dance that they would do to the song, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". Bruce submitted their entry and soon was notified that out of nearly a half of a million entries, theirs was among the few selected. Before they knew it, they were performing on national television singing and dancing. They didn't go on to win the million dollar prize, unfortunately, but, as Kathy and Bruce would like to joke, "They didn't win the million dollars but, they got a million laughs and that's just as good!" Needless to say, this was the highlight of their stage career with many great memories to last a lifetime. Their lives have been a wonderful adventure in love together and were immeasurably blessed.
Kathy is survived by her husband, Bruce; daughter, Valerie; (Douglas Staples) of New Port Richey, Florida, sisters; Alma Fisher and Edna Clemens of Michigan, grandsons Kevin and Brett, Nephew, Bill Clemens; Niece, DeAnne Labell. She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Pauline Brunell, and brother, Russell.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to https://ASPCA.org, in Kathryn's name.
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