Eileen Caroline Kennedy

Born on January 28, 1920 in Cook, NE, the eve of women’s suffrage, Eileen Caroline (Grotrian) Kennedy lived the life of a strong woman. Growing up on a farm, she was raised appreciating hard work and a good education. She was fond of recounting her journeys walking to school, or occasionally catching a ride on a buggy with her sister, Marie. Coming of age during the Great Depression shaped Eileen into a frugal homemaker who saved pieces of tin foil and hundreds of twist-ties, and recycled before recycling was cool. After graduating high school, Eileen attended Peru Teacher’s College, which eventually lead her to the front of a one room schoolhouse in Gothenberg, Nebr. As she neared 30, Eileen knew she wanted more, and headed back to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to pursue a degree in social work. There, she moved into Wilson Hall and found friends for life. The Wilson Hall girls set her up on a fateful blind date with a handsome veteran engineering student who needed a date to the Military Ball. On June 7, 1949, Neal and Eileen Kennedy married, beginning their 65 year journey that took them all over the world. Eileen took on the task of moving their growing family from Germany to the beaches of Hawaii, and back to the Nebraska prairie. Always looking to learn, Eileen would memorize poetry while doing the family’s ironing. Upon retiring from the army, the family settled into a rich life in Lincoln, where Neal and Eileen found family at Sheridan Lutheran Church, a church she loved until the very end of her life. After her children set out on lives of their own, she remained committed to helping others by both working in the classroom and volunteering with Tabitha’s Meals on Wheels. The last years of Eileen’s life were spent reading the newspaper, TIME magazine, and watching CNN, passionately following current events, even when her own memory favored the past. Eileen cherished family, and leaves this world cherished by hers. Survivors: son, Lynn Kennedy, Lincoln; son and partner, Gary Kennedy and Tammy Harkness, Pennsylvania; son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Karen Kennedy, Virginia; grandchildren, Jessica Kennedy, Tyler Kennedy, Tory Kennedy, Shay Kennedy; nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by her husband, Neal; son, Dale Kennedy; parents, sister, and brother. Funeral service: 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at Sheridan Lutheran Church, 6955 Old Cheney Road, Lincoln. Visitation one hour before services Tuesday at the church. Memorials in care of Sheridan Lutheran Church or Tabitha. Condolences may be left at lincolnfh.com.