Norma Kay Kennedy

Norma Kay Kennedy, loving wife, mother and grandmother, passed away on July 4, 2022, at the age of 79. After a long battle with Alzheimer’s, she was finally ushered into God’s holy presence, surrounded in her final moments by her four children Mark, Robin, Bryan and Karen.

Norma was born on September 12, 1942, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Rafe and Hazel Mackey. Rafe worked in the meat packing industry and Hazel was a teacher. Norma and her two sisters, Jo Ann and Joy, were raised in an industrious home where they were taught every kind of skill: farming, canning, cooking, sewing, needlework and horsemanship. Somewhat shy in nature as a child, Norma nevertheless became editor of the Millard Fillmore High School newspaper and served as the President of the Oklahoma City Interscholastic Press Association. She later attended Oklahoma University on a journalism scholarship, graduating in 1963. While at OU she met a young man from Chickasha, Jim Kennedy. They fell in love and married on December 28, 1962.

From there, Norma’s relatively simple life in Oklahoma began to expand rapidly, as she and Jim moved multiple times in a few short years, including stints in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, for Jim’s military service, followed by Boston, Massachusetts, for business school. During this time, she had four children in relatively short order before returning to Oklahoma City. As Norma devoted herself to motherhood and lovingly raising a young family, she and Jim began to grow deep in their faith and soon felt called to a mission of discipleship. This ultimately led to a life of missions both at home and overseas as they moved to New Zealand in 1976, followed by Singapore in 1982, as she learned to juggle raising her children while serving in cross-cultural ministry. She and Jim ultimately traveled with their children to over 25 countries before resettling in Dallas, Texas, in 1987.

Norma was a quiet woman full of warmth, tenderness and compassion. She loved her family deeply and, as her own children grew and became married, she cherished her role as grandmother to her 13 grandchildren. She loved music, was an expert seamstress and eventually developed great skill in china painting. But her real passion was pouring her life into people. Throughout her life, from country to country, she faithfully sought out those who might not fit in and drew them in with her kindness and deep love to pursue friendship and to share the love of Christ.

When Norma was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in her late 50’s, her world began to slowly shrink, yet she bravely continued to make friends and show loving kindness to others in every place she lived. The most frequent comment people have made about Norma over the years is that she has a sweet spirit, and she certainly does. And now her sweet spirit is with Jesus in heaven, finally at peace, fully restored in mind and body.

Norma was preceded in death by her father, Rafe, mother, Hazel, husband Jim, daughter-in-law, Helene, and great-grandson Nolan. She is survived by her four children, Mark, Robin, Bryan and Karen; her sons-in-law David Oldfather and John Ross, daughter-in-law Carmen Kennedy, her sisters Joy and Jo Ann, her 13 grandchildren, Alicia, Marlene, Jasmine, Alison, Rachel, Kate, Nicole, Drew, Kinsey, Ethan, Paige, Kalen, Ella and four great-grandchildren, Emery, Ellie, Wyatt and Laurel.

She was deeply loved and will be greatly missed.