Grace L. Kennedy

GRACE L. KENNEDY Tupelo - Grace Lowthorp Kennedy, 88, longtime church secretary at Harrisburg Baptist Church, died Thursday, May 29, 2014, at North Mississippi Medical Center Hospice Unit after a brief illness. A native and lifelong resident of Tupelo, she was born on Sherwood Ave. July 26, 1925, to Ernest Floyd and Lessie Mahalia Lynch Lowthorp. Grace was a 1942 graduate of Tupelo High School and during her senior year in high school began working at The J. C. Penney Company where she earned $3.96 a week. On December 24, 1943, she married the love of her life, Kenneth Hayes Kennedy and together began building a lifetime of memories. For thirty-two years she had worked as church secretary at Harrisburg Baptist Church, where she remained a faithful member throughout her life. She was a talented artist and enjoyed reading and especially doting over her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Services will be 3:00 p.m. Saturday, May 31, 2014 at The Jefferson Street Chapel of W. E. Pegues with Rev. David Langerfeld officiating. Burial will be in Tupelo Memorial Park. Survivors include her husband of almost 71 years, Kenneth Hayes Kennedy; three sons, Danny Hayes Kennedy (Ellen), Kenneth Gregg Kennedy (Margaret Ann) and Kirk C. Kennedy (Melissa) all of Tupelo; seven grandchildren, Denise Kennedy-Brown (Jason), Jennifer Loague (Daniel), John Frazier Kennedy (Brandi), Grant Kennedy, Mary Margaret Grace Kennedy, Jessica Grammer (Mason) and Victoria Kennedy all of Tupelo; four great-grandchildren, Alinea Grace Loague, Miles Frazier Kennedy, Brady Gray, Chris Grammer and Kalem Grammer all of Tupelo; two nieces, Patsy Lowthorp West and Sandy Tedford Maharrey; and one nephew, Jimmy Lowthorp. She was preceded in death by her parents, and one brother, Gilbert Lowthorp. Honorary pallbearers will be Bill and Dot Rieves, Otto Buckner, the Golden Circle Sunday School Class and current and former staff of Harrisburg Baptist Church. Visitation will be 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Saturday, May 31, 2014 at W. E. Pegues, Tupelo. Memorials may be made to Harrisburg Baptist Church, 4675 Cliff Gookin Blvd, Tupelo, MS 38801.