Ellen Therese Kennedy

Ellen Therese Kennedy passed away suddenly on the morning of January 31, 2016. She was 76 years old and is survived by her husband of 52 years Patrick Kennedy, her children Jennifer Kennedy Alford and Karl Kennedy and her grandchildren Marin Alford and Angus Alford.  She is also survived by her sisters Anne (William) Crooks and Mary (Gary) Gray, her goddaughter Ellen (Tony) Kennedy Martinez, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Jeremiah and Mary Reilly and her brothers Capt. Martin Reilly (U.S. Army) and Jerome Reilly. Ellen moved from Yonkers, New York to California in 1961 where she worked as a secretary at Autonetics in Anaheim. Patrick also worked at Autonetics and they met through friends. Pat and Ellen married in 1963 and within three years welcomed their daughter and son. Ellen continued working as a secretary off and on but spent most of her time raising her children and continuing her education. Ellen earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and a Master’s Degree in Psychology from California State University Fullerton. After returning to work in 1980 at TRW Space and Defense Systems in El Segundo, she went back to school and earned an MBA from Pepperdine University. Ellen enjoyed waterskiing on the Colorado River, camping, and traveling throughout California and the southwest. She also enjoyed hiking, biking, running, and visiting new places. She was able to snow ski in Taos, New Mexico as well as watch the hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque on another trip. Ellen and Patrick also traveled to many destinations including a trip to Arizona where they took a spectacular hike to Havasupai Falls. Ellen was proud of her children and very happy when she became a grandmother. She loved watching her grandchildren play and grow. She will be missed.