Consuelo "Connie" Kennedy

Connie was the epitome of the perfect hostess. As a rule, she always had extra food in her kitchen. The reason? Because unexpected company might drop in and there must always be something to offer them. She cooked frequently, the meals she prepared were an expression of her love for her family, from the lovingly folded napkins in a carefully packed lunch to the nutritious dinners served every night like clock work. The family always said grace and ate together, a tradition becoming more rare in today's times.

Consuelo Zermeno was born on April 23, 1929. Always known as a hard worker, Connie helped her mother clean houses and raise her six brothers and sisters after her father passed away. She dropped out of school more than once but went back and got her high school diploma. She considered education important and later earned her associate's degree attending night classes at San Bernardino Valley College.

Known as "Connie" to her loved ones, she was passionate about her family and her belief in God, praying her novenas devoutly every night. She attended church regularly, until her health would no longer allow it.

She took a job at Norton Air Force Base where she worked as a payroll secretary for the officers. She met Michael Kennedy in 1964 after she joined The Michaels, a social club for Catholic Singles. She became impatient for the handsome young Man to ask her out. The young Connie was very petite and beautiful and did not lack for suitors. Michael finally asked her out, having saved all week to take Connie out for dinner.

The two married in 1966, settling in the familiar black and white colonial home in San Bernardino for the next half-century, which so many people knew so well as simply "The Kennedys." Mike and Connie adopted Selicia and Michael Jr. in 1975.

Connie was known for her muted elegant taste and her pride in her home, decorating her house in black and white and Asian-inspired decor. She was proud of her yard and garden and was constantly doing yard work with her husband, Mike. She was also known for her impeccably clean house and her wonderful hospitality. Anyone who visited could expect a hot meal and a warm smile. Her family was her focus, her children's friends knew her as "Mom," and despite her strict rules, she was deeply loved by their friends.

She loved taking care of her family, regularly assisting her sister Terry in caring for their elderly mother until she passed away in 1986. She also adored all of her nieces and nephews, never forgetting anyone at Christmas time. But the true light of her life was her only granddaughter, Briana Ross, whom she doted on. She attended every recital and play, and with her sister Terry, sometimes chaperoning school outings and helping her daughter raise little Briana.

When Mike had a heart attack in 1985, Connie had to return to work while he recovered. She was at first apprehensive about rejoining the workforce as an older woman but later learned to embrace it, and found a job with the San Bernardino City Unified School District's Bilingual Program and Testing Center. Connie loved becoming a working woman again, making good friends and feeling empowerered as she provided for her family. She would stay with the school district for 20 years before retiring in 2006.

Connie enjoyed good health most of her life, despite developing diabetes later in life. Then kidney failure was discovered in 2010 and congestive heart failure shortly after. She became a dialysis patient in 2012, going three times a week, which she jokingly referred to as her "work days." She entered hospice care in October 2015, when it became apparent that she was declining in health and according to her wishes.

Despite the challenges she encountered, Connie's maintained her sense of humor and her deep faith in God which never wavered even up until the end when she softly spoke Jesus' name before gently passing away in her beloved home on Nov. 2, 2015.

She is survived by her husband Michael Kennedy, her daughter Selicia Kennedy-Ross and son, Michael Kennedy Jr., and her granddaughter, Briana Ross.