Marilyn June Kennedy
Marilyn June Kennedy, 79, of Hunter, Oklahoma, passed away on Wednesday, November 20, 2019. Visitation was from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday,
November 26, 2019 at the Lamont United Methodist Church.
A celebration of her life will be held at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 27, 2019 at the Lamont United Methodist
Church, with burial to follow at the Lamont Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of
Trout Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Tonkawa.
Marilyn was born on Father’s
Day, June 16, 1940, in Cherokee, Oklahoma, to Robert Linn and Ruth Evelyn (Thomas)
Work. When she was a young girl, before entering school, she was raised by her grandparents, Walter & Lena Thomas in Hunter, Ok while her mother taught school and her father farmed. She had many treasured lifelong memories of her time in Hunter with her grandparents, including attending
Sunday school and church at the Hunter Christian Church.
When she was old enough to attend school, she went with her mother to Green Valley School in Woods County, which was a one-room school house where her mother taught all grades first through eighth. Marilyn was an only child until the age of eleven, so she loved going to school, learning, and making friends. She attended second grade through high school at Carmen, Oklahoma graduating with the class of 1958.
Upon graduation from high school, Marilyn furthered her education at Northwestern State College (currently known as NWOSU) in Alva, Oklahoma. While at Northwestern, her interests included art, music, and drama. She was a member of the Northwestern Rangerettes (a women’s vocal ensemble) and Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities. She graduated in 1961 with a B.S. in Elementary Education. Before graduation, Marilyn and a friend decided to attend a job fair for elementary teachers. They never expected to get hired, but to their surprise, they were both offered positions with the Wichita public school system. Marilyn knew it was an offer she couldn’t refuse. Soon after graduating from Northwestern, despite not even owning a car or knowing how to drive, the country girl headed for the city. Marilyn taught kindergarten and first grade in Wichita schools for 7 years.
While at Northwestern, Marilyn met George “Eldon” Kennedy and they were married on December 21, 1963, in the Lamont United Methodist Church in Lamont, Oklahoma. Eldon and Marilyn returned to Grant County in 1968 to help Eldon’s father with farming operations. During this time, Marilyn taught first grade at Lamont for 2 years before leaving the profession to raise 4 children. After 14 years as a stay-at-home mom and housewife, she returned to the classroom and taught kindergarten at Deer Creek- Lamont for 20 years.
Marilyn had a creative spirit and enjoyed reading, writing short fiction and children’s stories, drawing and painting, sewing and dollmaking. She had a life-long love of music and could often be heard singing while she completed her household chores. As a child she taught herself to play the piano which she continued to enjoy until her passing. She played the clarinet in upper elementary & the high school band. She was a long-time member of her church choir. She had a strong Christian faith and was a member of the Lamont United Methodist church. Marilyn loved gardening and animals of all kinds. Her children and grandchildren were her pride and joy.
She is survived by her children; George “Chip” and his wife, Amy Kennedy of Fredericksburg, VA, Dr. Charles “Chuck” Kennedy and his wife, Yvonne, of Salisbury, N.C., Marci Brown and her husband, Bryan, of Hunter, OK, Thomas “Tom” Kennedy and his wife, Erin, of Edmond, OK; grandchildren, Spenser, Harper, Carla, Dominik, Owen, Levi and Maxwell; brothers, Ron Work of Lamont, OK, Don Work and His wife, Renee, of Woodward, OK, and numerous family members and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband Eldon and her parents.
Pallbearers will be Pat Dow-ell, Zac Kirby, Elliot Muegge, Brady Brewer, David Bach-man, Bryan Mendenhall, Drew McFeeters and Lane Williams, all of whom are her former students. Honorary pallbearers will be Don Muegge, Richard Met-calf, Brent Brewer, Bob Meyer, and her beloved classmates of the Carmen class of 1958.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lamont United Methodist Church. The family would like for you to leave memories of Marilyn at www.trouttonkawa.com .