Notes for: Jean Elizabeth Walsh
JEAN KENNEY OBITUARY
JEAN E. KENNEY - formerly of Riverside, CT, died at St. Raphael's Hospital in New Haven January 16, 2007. Mrs. Kenney was born in Frankfort, Kentucky as Jean Elizabeth Walsh on July 27, 1922. She grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, and attended Boston University as a journalism major. On May 30, 1944, she married Robert J. Kenney, also of Arlington, who soon thereafter was shipped overseas as part of the Allied invasion in Normandy. Mr. Kenney was taken prisoner in August of 1944 and remained a prisoner of war in Germany until May of 1945. Upon his return, Mr. and Mrs. Kenney lived in Washington, DC, where Mr. Kenney completed his studies at Georgetown University. Mr. Kenney accepted a job with Lever Brothers in 1948, and over the next twenty-two years the Kenneys lived in many different locations in the northeast and in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. and Mrs. Kenney moved to Greenwich in 1970, and remained there for the rest of their lives.
Mrs. Kenney was very active in Greenwich community affairs. She held a number of positions with The Women's Club of Greenwich, including a two-year term as president in 1980-1982. She initiated the Woman's Club's Antiques Study Group in 1976, and served as co-chair of the Club's first annual antiques show. She had a lifelong interest in ceramics and antique porcelain, and was a charter member and president of the Connecticut Ceramics Study Circle, which was founded in 1989. Mrs. Kenney also provided volunteer service to other community organizations in Greenwich, including the Bruce Museum and The Family Center.
Mrs. Kenney's beloved husband Bob died in November 2005, after a happy marriage of more than sixty-one years. Mrs. Kenney is survived by her three sons, Robert J. Kenney, Jr. of Potomac, Maryland, Lawrence A. Kenney of Hamden, Connecticut, and Christopher C. Kenney of Evanston, Illinois, as well as her brother, George T. Walsh of Boston, Massachusetts. Mrs. Kenney also has eight grandchildren: Michael, Ellen, Katherine, Erinn, Timothy, Julia, Kathryn Kirby and Amanda Kirby.
Jean Kenney's passing will be deeply mourned by family and friends. All who knew her were enriched by her warmth and empathy, and her genuine interest in helping and working with others. She never had a bad word to say about anyone, and she devoted herself tirelessly to the activities she undertook. Among her effects was a letter written many years ago by a friend in Greenwich, who said "I'd give up most of my relatives if I could be related to you, Jean." Her children and her grandchildren, and most of all her husband, adored her.
A memorial gathering of family and friends will be held February 2, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at The Women's Club of Greenwich, 89 Maple Ave., Greenwich, CT 06850. Her burial service will be at Arlington National Cemetery where she will be interred next to her husband. In lieu of flowers at the memorial gathering, donations may be made to The Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Dr., Greenwich, CT 06830, c/o Development Dept.
Published by GreenwichTime from Jan. 21 to Jan. 28, 2007.