Anna Kathleen "Cummins" Kennedy

Anna Kathleen (Cummins) Kennedy, aged 101, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died February 7, 2026 at the John J. Pershing V.A. Medical Center. She was born on January 1, 1925, in rural eastern Kentucky near the town of Falmouth, Kentucky. She was the seventh child of ten children born to Arthur and Sally Cummins. She was raised on her parents' farm, taking care of household and farming tasks while attending school in Falmouth, Kentucky.

At age 12, her mother died. Her older sisters had already left home so she took over running the household, cooking and cleaning for her father and brothers still at home, but still was able to manage time to attend school and graduated from the Falmouth High School in 1942. During this time, she became an extraordinary cook and an immaculate housekeeper and was "mother" to her 3 younger brothers.

After graduation from high school, she begged her father to allow her to join the Armed Services, but he would not consent. She was able to convince him to allow her to leave home to go to Cincinnati, Ohio and do factory work to support the war effort, along with her older sisters. She is one out of many women filling the void of male factory workers due to the war. At age 20, (early in 1945), she left her employment in Cincinnati, Ohio and joined the Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service in (WAVES) which was a part of the U.S. Navy Reserve during World War II.

She received her training in New York and was then stationed in Memphis as part of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps at the Naval Air Station Memphis, Tennessee. She was honorably discharged in January of 1946.

In her last days of service in the WAVES, she met her husband, Ardell O. Kennedy in a chow line at the Memphis Naval Air Station Base where both were stationed. Ardell had been injured in the South Pacific during the War and had been reassigned to the Memphis base after his recovery from his injuries. They were married in January of 1946 when she was still in the last few days of her service in the Nursing Corps at the Memphis Naval Air Station. She and her husband started a family in 1947 and over the next eight years there were four children born to their marriage that survive, Karen Delleen (Kennedy) Mosbey (Bill) of Guthrie, OK, Bonnie Lee (Kennedy) Ray (Bill) of Poplar Bluff, MO, Mark Alan Kennedy (Rose) of Poplar Bluff, MO, Douglas Ray Kennedy (Sheri) of Poplar Bluff, MO. She and Ardell encouraged and saw to it that their children received college educations and each did so becoming a nurse, a teacher, and attorneys.

Ardell and Kathy moved to Poplar Bluff, Missouri in 1950, (Ardell had been raised in the Gideon area), and made the town their permanent home. Kathy raised her four children there over the years that followed. She was a devoted mother and wife and made an excellent home for her family. Also, during that time, she was an active supporter of her children's schools, her church and community. She was a charter member of the Fellowship General Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff. She acted as Den Mother, PTA member, Women's Missionary Society member, Church Quilting Society member, Vacation Bible School Director, Sunday School Teacher, and was involved in food drives, fund drives, clothing drives-any activity that helped others or made the community a better place to live. She was a very active member of the Eastern Star for over 50 years and held various local, regional and state offices in the Eastern Star. Once her children left home or were otherwise able to take care of themselves, she began working outside the home again and worked for over 30 years as a clerk for livestock auctions in Missouri and Arkansas.

Throughout her life, she enjoyed her close-knit, immediate and extended family with regular get-togethers for cards and board games as well as travels with family members to every state in the US except Hawaii.

She was an accomplished cook, seamstress, quilter, painter, bowler, and was an avid reader. Over time, she became grandmother to 10 grandchildren and great grandmother to 16 great grandchildren. She made quilts and paintings for all of the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and prepared fantastic meals for the family at regular Sunday dinners in her home well into her 80's.

She was married to Ardell for 72 years before his death in 2017. She is survived by her children, 8 grandchildren (Kristen Ahrens Gillmore of Oklahoma City, OK, LeAnna Cochran of McCalla, AL, Sarah Blandford of Eagle, CO, David Ray of Poplar Bluff, MO, Jared Kennedy of Poplar Bluff, MO, Jessica Shockley of Evansville, IN, Nathaniel Kennedy of St. Louis, MO and Samuel Kennedy of Columbia, MO-Grandsons Joel Ahrens and Jason Ahrens preceded her in death, 16 great-grandchildren and numerous extended family members.

Services will be at Fellowship General Baptist Church on Saturday, February 14, 2026 with visitation to begin at 11 a.m. and funeral services to begin at 12 noon immediately following visitation. Burial will follow at the Poplar Bluff City Cemetery with full military honors. Arrangements are through White Sanders Funeral Home. Memorial donations may be made to the Fellowship General Baptist Church building fund: 3581 North Westwood Blvd Poplar Bluff, MO 63901.

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