Dorothy Eileen, “Duff”, Kennedy died on Oct. 24, 2019. Born Nov. 20, 1936, to J. Wilfred and Dorothy McNally of Baldwin, NY, Duff attended Visitation Academy and Fontbonne Hall high school in Brooklyn, and Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY. She received an M.A. in Psychology from Brooklyn College, NY. In 1958 she married the love of her life, William “Bill” Kennedy, a graduate of Holy Cross College, then serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy.
Duff’s concern was always helping others and making them happy. Her kind and generous spirit enriched many lives. She taught school in Hempstead, NY, and later, after moving to Greenwich, CT, worked with high school students with special needs. Duff was a 4-H leader and worked with the American Red Cross. She served on the Rosary Altar Society and the Parish Council at St. Frances de Chantel in Wantagh, NY, and volunteered as a religious-education teacher at St. Catherine of Sienna in Greenwich. Duff also volunteered at the Stamford, CT, soup kitchen and shelter for the homeless.
Duff loved to spend time with friends and family, telling stories, laughing and making memories. She took great pleasure in sailing and golf and was an officer of the Women’s Golf Association at Rosedale in Sarasota, FL, where she retired with Bill in 1998. To her great delight, her children and grandchildren made frequent visits to Rosedale, and Duff was constantly on the lookout for fun and exciting adventures to enjoy with her many visitors. Duff and Bill traveled extensively with friends, particularly in France, Italy and Greece. They were very fond of the arts and were season subscribers to the Asolo Theater and the Sarasota Opera. Duff was also an avid competitor in duplicate bridge. In her last years, the Kennedys moved to Atria Assisted Living in Sarasota, where she enjoyed two happy years before a heart related condition limited her activities.
In addition to Bill, her husband of 60 years, Duff is survived by her children and their spouses: Eileen and Charles Hansmann, Karyn and Barry Kurland, Robert and Karen Kennedy, Patricia and Joseph Feeney and William and Kathleen Kennedy; by her sister and brother-in-law Kathleen and Gerald Andersen; and by her brother-in-law Father Robert Kennedy, S.J. She leaves behind many nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly and 14 grandchildren who were the joy of her life.
Duff’s passing leaves a void in the lives of those she touched. Although she has left us, she will live on in our memories.
