Florence S. McKenna

Florence Vera Schremp was born April 27, 1927 the only child to Mildred and Eugene Schremp in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Her dad was a millworker in the textile mills of Lawrence, Massachusetts. They spent a lot of time on the beach in Newburyport in the summers, which made her an avid swimmer. They regularly got together with her Aunts and Uncle and later cousins. Her Grandpa was Arthur Bower, a Quaker and legislator from Lawrence. Her Grandma was from Germany. Florence was very intelligent and did well in school. She supplemented her allowance by working as a bobbin winder at the textile mill. She graduated high school at age 16 and graduated Tuffts University at the age of 20 with a Bachelors degree in English Literature. Later, she met Maurice McKenna at the municipal pool where they both worked as lifeguards. They were married September 15th, 1948. Maurice was a veteran of WWII and went to Harvard on the GI Bill. They soon heard the Call of the West and headed to California, where they both became teachers in some remote locations. The first place they lived was in the Mojave Desert, then later in Lompoc where Maurice built their house. They made it to their beloved Santa Monica, where Florence gave birth to their first child, Paula, who was 10 lbs 4 oz. Two years later they had Maury. At this time they were driving across the country on Route 66 to Massachusetts and Maurice went to get his Masters degree in Education. They later bought a house in Pacoima, CA and had their third child, Eileen. During this time, Florence was very involved in Democratic politics and was very liberal, often hosting fundraising parties for local candidates. She started working at Cleveland High School and worked there for 30 years. The family was joined by Florence’s only grandchild, Ethan McKenna Addis. Florence lost her husband at the age of 53 retired and became active in the Sierra Club, leading hikes and going on trips. She also traveled all over the world, visiting China, Eastern Europe, Israel, the Soviet Union and Africa, promoting peace with a group called Educators for Peace. She also visited Burundi, Africa, hiking up into the rainforest to see the gorillas. She met her second partner, Jerome Eisner and the two lived together in harmony for 25 years. At the age of 84, she moved to Colorado Springs to be near her eldest daughter, Paula. There her health declined and she passed away September 24, 2011