Iris Kennedy, 84, of Sutherland, NE passed away unexpectedly on April 11, 2023. She was born to Gene and Mabel Rice on September 16, 1938, in Vernon, Colorado.
Growing up on the family farm in eastern Colorado, Iris quickly adopted her father’s love of horses. She was active in 4-H in the areas of home economics, and beef and horse projects. In 1953, Iris became Colorado’s delegate to the National 4-H Congress in Chicago, IL where she earned a full-ride scholarship to Colorado State University. She went on to study English and Journalism at CSU where she competed on both the CSU field hockey and synchronized swimming teams. As of the print date, Iris is the only Division I athlete in her family.
Iris started her career teaching in a one-room schoolhouse near Birdwood Creek. She quickly found that teaching elementary students was not her forte’ and took high school positions in both Sutherland and Hershey. Iris eventually moved to the Paxton Consolidated School District where she taught English, Speech, and Drama for 30 years before her retirement in 1999. The relationships forged there with students and fellow educators are something she treasured and Iris was forever proud to be a Tiger.
Iris met her future husband, Don, whom she married in Yuma, Colorado on April 1, 1962. Their daughters, Michelle and Kari Lee completed their family. The four of them spent many vacations traveling in their camper to sites all over the United States. They also spent a great amount of time camping and fishing at Lake McConaughy with family and friends.
Perhaps Iris’s favorite pastime was anything that her grandchildren were doing. She was blessed with Dan, Nick, Adam, Trent, Tanner, and Madison whom she and Don followed devotedly throughout their lives. They seemed to have a silent pact where they could do no wrong in Gma Iris’s eyes and to them, Grandma Iris hung the moon. She traveled all over the United States with her grandchildren and made memories that cannot be replaced. As our family grew with the addition of Lydia, Amanda, and Taylor she loved her new granddaughters-in-law just as fiercely and when Leo, Emmett, Knox, Holden & Evelyn came along, being “Grandma Grape” became a title she revered.
Traveling was also one of Iris’s great loves. She visited Europe three times and had been to the Bahamas, Mexico, Canada, and the Dominican Republic as well as 49 of the 50 states, choosing not to go to Hawaii as she dreaded the flight. Her best traveling buddies, Arlis, Lois, and Margie put many, many miles on their cars during their adventures. Iris, the driver, Arlis, the navigator, Lois, the diarist and Margie, the cheerleader. These four shared rooms, food, a credit card, laughter, and love. Last September, Iris spent a week in New York City attending the US Tennis Open which was a lifelong dream. Attending with her with Michelle, Kari Lee, and her sons-in-law, Jim and Roger, who she loved wholeheartedly. Plans were underway to get her to Wimbledon next year.
Quilting and reading rounded out Iris’s life. She was a prolific quilter who could always be found either hunched over her Bernina or doing hand-stitching in her chair. Although she did not share her passion for quilting with her daughters, she did pass on her passion for reading. Iris, Michelle & Kari Lee shared books and reviews continually. And the heated debate between her and her Grandson Adam over the merits of To Kill a Mockingbird would eventually force the rest of the family to shake their heads and walk away.
Iris was proceeded in death by her parents, her husband, Don, mother-in-law, Rosie, brother-in-law Warren, sister Ruth, brother, Donald, and nephew, Gary. She leaves behind her brother Joe (Deanna) Rice, daughters Michelle (Jim) Kalin, and Kari Lee (Roger) Miller, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Iris also leaves behind her wonderful sisters-in-law, Gerry Kennedy, Virginia Wisdom, and Jeannie Kennedy with their husbands Lon Wisdom and Ross Dinwiddie along with numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation with the family present will be from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 14, 2023 at Carpenter Memorial Chapel. Private services for the family will follow. Private burial will be in Riverview Cemetery in Sutherland. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Sutherland Library or please donate or read a banned book in her honor.
Carpenter Memorial Chapel has been entrusted with the arrangements.