On Wednesday, January 17, 2024 we said goodbye to our beloved mother and grandmother Mona Kennedy (née Anderson) at the end of her long and exceptional life. We feel blessed to have had her with us into her 97th year, and we will miss her greatly.
Born on September 13, 1926 in Melfort, Saskatchewan, Mom grew up in Winnipeg and attended Gordon Bell High School and Business College before her family moved to Fort William in 1948.
The following year, Mom married our father John (“Jack”) Kennedy, forming a union that lasted over 68 years until Dad’s passing in 2018. Together, they built a home filled with love and five children: Paul (Cindy), Dan (Bettie), Jim, Jeannie (Dale Faubert) and Brendan.
With her sharp mind and organizational skills, Mom worked for many years as a purchaser for North Star Electric before retiring in 1980 and returning to school. She was proud of the eight credits she completed at Lakehead University – it was just one of the many ways she inspired us through her lifelong commitment to learning and knowledge.
Mona was truly one-of-a-kind. Over the years, Mom and Dad adventured across Canada and Europe, enjoying nature and culture, collecting memories, and showering us with postcards and stories from their travels. She was a voracious reader with a razor-sharp mind, who was never far from a book or a cryptogram word puzzle, and who passed her love of books and words on to her kids and grandkids. She was also a talented quilter who loved knitting, drawing and the arts. And she was a sports fan until the very end who particularly loved watching soccer, curling (especially her favourite rink, Team Brad Gushue) and NFL football. If you were lucky, you got to enjoy her impression of Coach John Gruden at least once!
Our mother was endlessly generous with her intellect, resources, time, and support. This was also the case with her grandchildren, Meagan, Adriann, Shaun, Sarah, Michael and Kathleen Kennedy, Carrie Felbel (Neil) and Shannon Faubert. Mom and Dad took enormous pride in their grandkids, and no matter what, they knew they could count on their grandparents. Always the heart of our family, our parents would often invite the whole Kennedy clan over on Saturday nights for hamburgers, lemon meringue pie and quality time spent together.
In addition to her family, Mom was deeply committed to her Catholic faith and the values and causes that were close to her heart. She held a lifelong interest in politics, current events and the arts, and was long-time supporter of local Liberal Party politics and the Thunder Bay Public Library.
While we are heartbroken to say goodbye, we are comforted knowing that our Mom and Dad have been reunited. Mona always said that she felt blessed to have such a good and patient husband, and together, they were like two peas in a pod, inspiring everyone around them with their love and commitment.
In addition to her husband, Jack, Mom was predeceased by her parents Melville and Jean Anderson, and brother Kenneth. She is survived by her five children and eight grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews.
Our family sends heartfelt thanks to the teams at Glacier Ridge, the Transitional Care Unit and Hogarth Riverview Manner for the care they provided to Mom in the last years of her life. In particular, we are grateful to Caralyn Kernaghan of Paramed, whose dedicated care and patience at Glacier Ridge allowed Mom to maintain so much of her independence, even at 97! Thank you for everything you do.
A Memorial Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at Corpus Christi R.C. Church, with Rev. Doug McClure officiating. Those wishing to attend virtually may do so at the Sargent and Son Facebook page. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the ‘St. Pat’s Needs a Hat’ fundraiser for St. Patrick’s
Cathedral are appreciated. Online condolences may be expressed at www.sargentandson.com.
