Kathleen W. (Willoughby) Salinas

Kathleen Willoughby Salinas passed away on August 30, 2026. She was born on May 22, 1954, in Dayton, Kentucky, to Howard Oliver Willoughby and Lorene Fryman Brookbank.

As a young adult, Kathleen moved to Texas, where she met the love of her life, Eliazar Tanguma Salinas, Sr., in Alice, Texas. Affectionately known to Kathleen as “Cowboy Jim,” the two were married on St. Patrick’s Day and shared 53 years of marriage. St. Patrick’s Day remained a special holiday for Kathleen throughout her life, as it marked the anniversary of the day she married her beloved Cowboy Jim.

Kathleen enjoyed the simple things that made a home warm and comfortable. She loved watching her soap operas, crocheting blankets and scarves, working crossword puzzles, and completing word searches. She worked for a short time at the Alvarado nursing home but devoted most of her life to being a loving wife, mother, and homemaker.

Kathleen is survived by her husband of 53 years, Eliazar Tanguma Salinas, Sr.; her children, Eliazar T. Salinas, Jr., and his wife, Melinda Y. Salinas, of Alvarado, Texas; Lisa Sandlin of Newport, Kentucky; and Donna Dubuc of Bellevue, Texas.

She is also survived by her grandchildren, Eliazar T. Salinas III, Miranda J. Salinas, Lorene H. Salinas, and Selina Y. Salinas, all of Alvarado, Texas; Royce Salinas of Erlanger, Kentucky; Jedediah Stevenson, Jr., of Highland Heights, Kentucky; Kaylee York of Newport, Kentucky; Brandon Salinas of Arkansas; Mackenzie Salinas-Dubuc and Dylan Dubuc, both of Frisco, Texas; and Teodora Dubuc of Prosper, Texas. Her surviving great-grandchildren are Penelopi J. Salinas of Alvarado, Texas, and Jackson Shumaker of Newport, Kentucky.

Kathleen is also survived by her siblings, Alberta “Birdie” Boruske, Howard “Butch” Willoughby, and Harry Bonapfel. Nicknames were a family tradition, with the siblings lovingly known by the names that became so familiar to those who knew them.

Kathleen was preceded in death by her parents, Howard Oliver Willoughby and Lorene Fryman Brookbank, and her siblings, Clarence Willoughby and Rosemarie “Bobbie” Williams.

A memorial service honoring Kathleen’s life will be held Friday, September 4, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at Clayton Kay Vaughan Funeral Home.

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