#Kathleen Short Kandalaft

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Kathleen “Kitty” Short Kandalaft, daughter of the late Kenneth Short and Martha Lester Short, was born on August 17, 1930, in Indian Creek, West Virginia, and departed this life on April 7, 2022, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, at the age of 91 years.

Mrs. Kandalaft was a former educator with the Sikeston Public School System in Sikeston, Missouri, where she taught third grade for 20 years. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Dexter, Missouri, and a resident of Dexter. She was a former member of the Dexter School Board and Missouri State School Board.

A lifelong learner, Kitty loved literacy, music, nature, and poetry. She began her college career at Concord College in Princeton, West Virginia before transferring to Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, where she learned to play the harp, and obtained her music degree. In 1957, she earned her master’s degree in education from Northeast Missouri State Teachers College. Aside from motherhood, one of the highlights of her life was obtaining her private airplane pilot’s license in 1971.

During her lifetime Kitty traveled extensively. She toured England, Rome, Venice, Paris, Spain, Portugal, Katmandu, Lebanon, Jordan, Amsterdam, Israel, Switzerland, and Germany. She visited Belgium via the Channel from England. Her favorite spot was Vienna, Austria, because of the musical influences, and because it was so clean.

While attending Bob Jones University, she met her first husband, Dr. Fuad Kandalaft and to this union four daughters were born, Victoria, Catherine, Patricia, and Leila. On April 14, 2007, she was then united in marriage to Dr. Floyd C. Northington. Dr. Northington preceded her in death on March 9, 2016.

She is survived by her daughters, Victoria Kandalaft of Germantown, Tennessee, Catherine Kandalaft Clippard of Ozark, Missouri, Patricia Kandalaft of Seattle, Washington, and Leila Kandalaft of Ludwigsburg, Germany; by her brother, Michael Short of Kentucky; by her sister, Patsy Harrington of Fayette, Missouri; and by seven grandchildren Arabella McGowan, Ayman McGowan, MarthaGrace Clippard, Luke Clippard, Leila Serene Heidsieck, Helena Stroetmann, and Alexander Stroetmann.

Other than by her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Douglas Short and by her sister, Dorothy Short.

Visitation will be held at Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter on Sunday, April 10, 2022, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Funeral services will then be conducted at the First United Methodist Church in Dexter on Monday, April 11, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Larry Lawman officiating. Interment will follow in the New Bethel Ezell Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the Bethlehem Bible College, 614C South Business IH-35, New Braunfels, Texas 78130.