Doris H. Kennedy

Doris Ann Howland Kennedy was the only child of Reynolds Boak Howland and Grethel See Howland born on March 25, 1929, in Louisa, Kentucky, and died on November 11, 2024, aged 95, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Doris spent her childhood in Louisa and Henderson, Kentucky, and Huntington, West Virginia; moving to Louisa County, Virginia for high school. After graduation, she moved with a classmate to Washington D.C.

Doris worked for the Federal Housing Administration for five years. While living in Washington, she met her future husband, Edward Henry Kennedy in April 1951 on a blind date. Ed was in the Marine Corps

stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. They married on January 26, 1952, and welcomed their first child and only daughter in December of that year. They moved to Lansing, Michigan where Ed attended Michigan State and graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering. Their second child, the first of three sons, was born during this time. Upon graduation Ed accepted a position with Huber, Hunt and Nichols, a general contracting firm based in Indianapolis. Doris and Ed spent the next thirteen years moving to eight more states, adding a son in Lima, Ohio and completing the family with the birth of their fourth child in Kansas City, Missouri. Doris, Ed and family settled in Danville, Indiana in 1967.

Doris lost her Mother at age 3, so family was of the utmost importance to her. To accommodate Ed’s frequent company transfers, Doris and her children moved with him, creating a close knit and self-sufficient family. Doris was an excellent cook and always made family events special, even after her children were grown with families of their own. In addition to being a homemaker and full time mother, Doris volunteered as a den mother, for Meals on Wheels, and at Opportunity Cottage. She was a member of Homemakers, Garden Club, Browning Club and the D.A.R.

Doris was endowed with a curious mind and always full of questions. Doris loved history, collecting antiques, decorating, reading, traveling, gardening, and crossword puzzles. She had an excellent memory for family lore and as an engaging story-teller she was able to pass along this interest in family history to her children and grandchildren.

Doris was predeceased by her beloved husband in December 2005, her parents in 1932 and 1953 and her granddaughter, Kelsey Kennedy in 2022.

Doris is survived by her four children: Patricia Kennedy Hirsch (William) of Indianapolis, Edward H. Kennedy (Lisa) of Danville, Steven R. Kennedy (Carla) of Carmel, and Jeffrey S. Kennedy (Maren) of Mansfield, Ohio; eleven grandchildren: Adrienne and Colin Hirsch, Carly Wise(Brandon), Edward (Traci), Shane (Deirdre), Gregory, Eric (Rachel), Alex (Claire), Joseph (Natalia), Matthew (Trisha), and Sarah Kennedy; and eleven great grandchildren: Finn, Renner and Ephraim Wise, Samuel, Evelyn, Silas, Henry, Sloane, Graham, Cillian, Liam, and Melody Kennedy