Virginia Ruth Kenney

Virginia Kenney Virginia Kenney was a woman much loved by her family, friends, church, and God. On October 28, 2016, God lifted her up, embraced her, and welcomed her into the joys of Heaven. Born on July 28, 1919 in Pennsylvania, Virginia was one of six children of Lewis and Clara Learn. The family moved to Akron, Ohio her senior year in high school. She met Bob Kenney at Forest Hill Community Church and married him in 1941 before he went off to World War II. Virginia and Bob had five children in Akron where she raised vegetables to feed her family, flowers for their beauty, baked strawberry pies for church picnics, tossed horseshoes with Bob, sewed clothes for her children, quilted with her mother and sisters, served as PTA president, read voraciously, and was a Sunday School teacher until Bob’s work moved them to Tennessee. In Knoxville, she fell in love with the Smoky Mountains and the UT Lady Vols and was often seen hiking in the mountains or in the stands yelling for her basketball team. Bob and Virginia celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1991 with a week at the beach with their children and grandchildren and Virginia’s brothers and sisters, a special gift to her from Bob. Then, in 1993, Bob was called to Heaven. Virginia continued to be active in Bearden United Methodist Church and with friends and family. On her 80th birthday, she hiked the 11-mile Cades Cove Loop, a feat celebrated on the front page of the Knoxville News-Sentinel. Virginia was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Robert Quay Kenney, infant daughter Patricia Lynn Kenney, sister Kathryn Edworthy, and her brothers Leonard Learn and Kenneth Learn. In 2014, Virginia moved from Knoxville, Tennessee to Hendersonville, North Carolina. She liked coffee, tossed salads with ranch dressing, oranges, and ice cream. She was always tooling around, looking for and smiling at her many friends at Spring Arbor West Assisted Lving, participating in activities, and following the wonderful people who cared so much for her. Virginia is survived by her sister Donna Chancey of Ohio, brother Bob Learn in Arizona, daughters Sandy Weeks (Bud) of North Carolina and Kim Anderson (Mike) of Florida, sons Garry (Pam) of North Carolina and Tom (Brenda) of Knoxville, eight grandchildren: Jon Kenney of North Carolina, Becca Weeks of Nevada, Ted Weeks of New Jersey, Tammany Mills of California, Kara Seward and Kris Kenney of Tennessee, and Beth Anderson and Bryant Anderson of Florida, 14 loving great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Virginia was a member of Bearden United Methodist Church in Knoxville and an affiliate member at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The family will receive friends from 10:00am to 11:00 am on Monday October 31, 2016 with a graveside service to follow at 11:00 am at Highland Memorial Funeral Home and Cemetery, with the Rev. Sherrell Boles officiating. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Bearden United Methodist Church, PO Box 11065, Knoxville, TN 37939, or to Trinity Presbyterian Church, 900 Blythe Street, Hendersonville NC 28791. Virginia loved her family, flowers, butterflies and the great outdoors. Her family finds comfort in knowing that at age 97, she is off on a wonderful new adventure in Heaven with God.