Margaret Rose Kennedy

Margaret Rose Kennedy, 87, was born on June 16, 1936, in Cashmere, Washington, to Wilson and Mabel Dynes. Maggie, the baby of a large family, grew up on the family farm just outside Cashmere. As the much younger baby sister, she enjoyed a special relationship with her older siblings as well as her mom and dad. She learned to play the piano from her mom, and she became a gifted and accomplished pianist spending her life sharing that special gift wherever she went.

Maggie graduated from Cashmere High School in 1954. In 1958, she moved to Seattle where she went to work for Boeing in that new and rapidly growing field of computers. It was during this time that Maggie met and married Alex Quiroga. Maggie left Boeing to help run a successful Mexican restaurant with Alex. Like so many other businesses in the Seattle area during the downturn and layoffs at Boeing, the business failed, and Maggie and Alex lost the restaurant and their home.

The couple then moved first to Ellensburg and later to Othello. Alex was diagnosed with brain cancer and passed away in 1976. After moving to Othello, Maggie went to work at the Carnation potato processing plant. Working the assembly line was hard shift work and long hours on her feet. After working there several years, she managed to move up into the plant's product testing lab. As the union representative, she was able to negotiate for lockers so workers would have a safe place to store their belongings.

Maggie was introduced to Jack Kennedy by his mother Fern, a friend she knew from church. Jack and Maggie were married in 1979 and she welcomed into her life Jack's four children: Jerry, Diana, Colleen, and Merle. Marriage to Jack brought her back to the farm life that she loved. After Jack retired from working at a WSU research farm, they moved first to Delano and later to Electric City where they were close to Jerry and Merle. Jack passed away in 2016. Maggie loved the Lord above all things. She also loved working in her yard, doing jigsaw puzzles, reading, and playing the piano for her church.

Maggie passed away on December 22, 2023, at daughter Colleen's home surrounded by the love of her family. She is survived by her children: Jerry (Susan), Diana (Tom), Colleen (John) and Merle. She is also survived by ten grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren as well as three nieces, other extended family, and her church family.

A service for Maggie will be held at the Grand Coulee Community Church on February 3, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor can be made to the Grand Coulee Community Church (P.O. Box 605, Grand Coulee, WA. 99133) for their general fund or their mission fund.