Elizabeth Margaret (Lord) Kennedy, 103, passed away Friday, February 25, 2022 in Newport, R. I. Betty was the wife of the late James E. Kennedy. Born at home in Newport, R. I. on October 31, 1918, she was the daughter of the late Elizabeth (Cook) Lord and Alfred J. Lord.
After her mother’s death, her father married Beatrice Dorey who raised Betty and her siblings. Betty graduated from Rogers High School in 1936. She excelled in basketball and enjoyed a good game of tennis. During World War II, she was employed at Fort Adams in the Quartermaster’s office. While there she met her husband James who was enlisted in the U. S. Army. They married in 1942.
She was a Girl Scout leader and a member of the Seaside Garden Club. Her hobbies were needlepoint, decorating her home, the challenge of Sudoku, and knitting hats that she gave to family and local school children. She was an avid reader. Her home was always open to her extended family. When her children were older she worked at T. W. Rounds and for many years at the Newport Preservation Society’s Marble House gift shop. After James retired, they spent winters in Naples, Florida and traveled to Ireland, Greece, and California.
She was predeceased by her “Jimmy” in 2011, her son Michael Kennedy, her grandson Michael Knowles, her brother Alfred (Bunny) Lord Jr., and her sisters Dorothy (Tootie) Martin, Helen (H. E.) Quigley, and Doree Conklin.
She is survived by her children Maureen Seiple (Bill), Gale Knowles, and Kathleen Kennedy (Nancy). Granny K cherished her grandchildren Kristin Seiple Silveira (Adam), Garrett Seiple (Melissa), Stephen Knowles (Lin), Dylan Harrington, Andrew Kennedy (Nicole), and Spencer Kennedy, as well as her great-grandchildren Alyssa, Megan, Jami, and Jonathan Silveira, Teagan and Pierson Seiple, and Emily and Guinevere Kennedy. Twelve nieces and nephews affectionately called her Sis.
According to her wishes, services will be private.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Martin Luther King Center, 20 Dr. Marcus Wheatland Blvd., Newport, RI 02840.
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