Clydia Dartez DeFreese
Private graveside services were held for Clydia Dartez DeFreese, “Kitty,” at Kilpatrick Serenity Gardens in West Monroe. She enjoyed a long, fulfilling life and passed away October 13 after a short illness.
Preceding her in death were her husband of 66 years, Travis L. DeFreese; her parents, Robert and Ruby Dartez of Monroe; and her halfbrother, Harold Dartez.
She is survived by her children, Stephanie ( James) Walker of Brewton, Alabama, Laura (Richard) McKinney of Ruston, Craig (Alice) DeFreese of Decatur, Alabama; her grandchildren, Leigh Walker of Birmingham, Alabama; Gavin (Nina) McKinney of Birmingham, Alabama; Brady ( Bailey) McKinney of Farmerville; Courtney McKinney of Nashville, Tennessee; and great granddaughters, Celia Walker, Madeline McKinney, and Baylor McKinney; and much loved nieces, nephews & cousins.
Kitty was born in New Orleans but graduated from Ouachita Parish High School in Monroe. Her high school highlight was participating in the 1949 National Eisteddfod of Wales with her choir ensemble. The generosity of the Ouachita Parish community made the tripof- a-lifetime a reality as Kitty’s choir not only performed, but toured Wales, London, Paris, Brussels, Shannon and cities in Holland.
Three years later, she graduated cum laude with a degree in Elementary Education from Louisiana Tech. She began her teaching career at West Side Elementary in Minden while she waited for her future husband to finish college.
After the wedding, the happy couple lived in Utica, New York, Fort Wayne, Indiana and then Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Kitty enjoyed the adventure and worked as a substitute teacher.
In Shreveport, Kitty and Travis enjoyed being MYF leaders before becoming parents. As Travis progressed through the ranks of the Telephone Company, he and Kitty moved to New Orleans, Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, New Orleans again, New Jersey again, Shreveport again, Lafayette, Birmingham and Decatur, Alabama, before choosing to retire in Ruston.
As she moved from place to place, Kitty remained active, leading PTA activities in her children’s schools, serving as a Scout Leader for Cubs and Brownies (although camping was never something she wanted to do) and supporting Travis’ projects with Telephone Company Pioneers and Kiwanis.
New places provided different opportunities. In New Jersey, Kitty taught preschool and completed her Master of Arts in Counseling from Seton Hall University. She worked with League of Women Voters as a Unit Chairperson. In Shreveport, Kitty did doctorate level work in education at Northwestern and returned to teaching elementary school.
She worked for Louisiana’s Department of Social Services; in Decatur she worked with the Department of Human Resources. Along the way, Kitty’s activities in the local Methodist Church also put her in leadership roles, teaching Sunday School, organizing VBS, singing in the choir, and participating in United Methodist Women (UMW).
She held local, district and state offices with UMW. Her special affinity for church libraries led to being chosen in 1988 as Outstanding New Librarian by the Church & Synagogue Association for re-establishing a library at Decatur Central United Methodist Church. Throughout the years, Kitty collected a wide variety of versions of the Bible and annually read through a different version every year.
Upon retirement in 1993, Travis and Kitty moved to Ruston and joined Trinity United Methodist Church. Kitty became active with Friends of the Library, serving as an officer and helping with the successful campaign for an ad valorem tax to support the library.
She and Travis were also an integral part of the fundraising campaign to renovate the Dixie Center for the Arts; they loved attending theater, symphony and other musical performances.
They were dedicated cheerleaders for their beloved Louisiana Tech at football games and women’s and men’s basketball games. Kitty’s hobbies included writing poetry and creating games for a variety of magazines. She loved learning new things; in later years she focused on learning art history, everything about operas and collecting dolls. Her new goal was to learn Latin.
She savored her daily Bible study, playing the piano, singing, reading mysteries and entering contests on behalf of ALL her family members. One Christmas, she won a large cash prize that she spent entirely on gifts for numerous nursing home residents. She lived out what she taught her children, to always consider how to help others.
She was eternally grateful for the schoolteachers who helped her find her way through high school and into college. In lieu of flowers, memorials to help other students through college can be sent to the Travis & Clydia DeFreese Scholarship Fund, established in 2011. Make checks payable to the LA Tech Foundation and send to P.O. Box 3183, Ruston, LA 71272.
Online condolences may be sent to www.kilpatrickfuneralhomes.com.
