Gloria Anne (Stuart) Kennedy

Gloria Anne Stuart Kennedy was the first and only child of Ed and Anabel Stuart. She was born in Portland, Oregon on May 16, 1924.  She grew up in Portland and enjoyed the natural beauty of the surrounding area all of her life.  Her parents were members of the Trails Club and took her on many hikes in the Columbia Gorge, trips to the Oregon coast and an annual huckleberry picking trip to Mount Hood.  She enjoyed hikes with waterfalls the most and Silver Falls Park was one of her favorites.  Her mother was a gardener and Gloria also loved to “dig in the dirt”.

Gloria graduated from Franklin High School in January 1942 (the last class to have a January graduation).  She graduated from Oregon State University and studied nursing, completing her training at the University of Oregon School of Nursing (“up on the hill”).

She met the love of her life on a blind date.  Although Don Kennedy was not a great dancer, he was a great huckleberry picker and “so that was that”. They were married on March 23, 1947 and he was her “Sweetie” for 67 years.  Don and Gloria had three daughters: Cherie, Susan and Jean. The family grew to include six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Gloria kept a beautiful rose garden at the family home on Wygant Street and kept busy every summer processing the berries and other fruits and vegetables that they grew.  She was an accomplished seamstress and enjoyed making doll clothes and “mother/daughter” dresses for herself and the girls.  She taught Sunday School classes at Calvary Presbyterian and enjoyed the fellowship and activities with the other women at the church and in the “Couplers” group making life long friends.

If you wanted someone to “tell it like it is”, you could always ask Gloria.  She was outspoken and never shy about sharing her opinions.  Growing up as a child in the Kennedy family could be terrifying but life was always interesting.  And, either she mellowed with age or we just got older, but her children and grandchildren and all those who knew her will have stories and memories to share with lots of laughter for years to come.

Her advice for the Christmas holiday was: never eat a whole box of chocolates at once, pick some flowers and holly and cedar because it smells good then, enjoy a good meal with family and friends.

Memorial contributions may be made in her memory, to the charity of your choice.