Martha Franklin Kennedy

Martha Franklin Kennedy died at age 85 at the Broomall Presbyterian Village on May 5, 2018. Known to her countless friends as Lin, she lived a life of delighted and boundless commitments to friendship, culture, drama, and originality.

Born on September 6, 1932, the second child of John M. Kennedy III (Jack) and Mary L.P. Kennedy, she grew up in genteel surroundings in Plymouth Meeting. Like her sisters, Locke and Sally, she attended Springside School, and she was a debutante in 1951. But from a young age, life dealt her unpredicted challenges.

As a baby, Lin made medical history, surviving a bone infection in her sinuses – a disease that killed many in that era before penicillin. In the mid-1930’s, the family spent winters in Georgetown, South Carolina, largely for the benefit of Lin’s health. So, the sisters came to know the poor and segregated South. During World War Two, the family followed Jack (serving in the Fifth Army) to training posts in Louisiana, Texas, and Colorado – where Clark Gable rescued Lin after a fall while ice-skating. In due course, Lin graduated from the Ashley Hall School in Charleston. Thanks to these experiences, she made friends easily, and she learned to embrace life as it unfolded – whatever it offered.

Graduating from high school passionate to become an actor, she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City for two years. A bout of tuberculosis clouded that dream, and she never broke through to a career and fame. Even so, her love for the work carried her far. For two decades she played amateur roles at the Hedgerow Theater in Media, did summer stock, acted in TV commercials, and worked as an extra in dozens of feature films. A proud member of Actors Equity, she took her Oscar selections seriously.

Although a passionate romantic, Lin never met “Mr. Right,” so she lived a single life in center city, working as a secretary at Temple University’s Paley Library. In those respects, her life appeared far removed from the Hollywood storylines she loved so much. Any regrets were private however, and she greeted the world with a buoyant and engaged optimism. She was a committed member of the Franklin Inn Club and the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames, long a season-ticket holder at the Pennsylvania Ballet, and a passionate fan of the Philadelphia Art Alliance. Her friendships ran deep, so most survived her equally strong opinions. Her lifelong ties to sister Sally were foundational in both their lives.

Lin’s devotion to lovely baubles also made her a well-adorned friend to many jewelers in center-city Philadelphia. With the income of a secretary, she often starved herself to finance the desires of her eye. That passion for elegance endeared her to many.

Sally Kennedy and her husband Harvey Davis survive Lin, as do her nephews, Crosby and Jack Brown. Special thanks go to Jeanne Hansberry and the caregivers at Spring Mill Presbyterian Village and Broomall Presbyterian Village who did so much to make her last years rewarding. The family will have a private gathering of remembrance. Donations in her memory will be much appreciated by The Pennsylvania Ballet.