Josephine Kennedy

1926. - 2021

Josephine Mary Kennedy
Feb 24, 1926 - Aug 27, 2021
Josephine Mary Kennedy was born in San Francisco to Hugh Kennedy and Brigid Cassidy on February 24, 1926. She passed away peacefully on August 27, 2021, in her home after a short illness, surrounded by close friends.
Jo's father, Hugh, came from a family of small farmers near the village of Mountcharles Co. Donegal, in Ireland. He emigrated to the US in 1896 to join his brothers who had come before him. In his early years he worked as a laborer building the railroads and was in the Yosemite area when the 1906 Earthquake struck. When he settled in San Francisco he owned and ran a grocery store on Harrison Street.
Jo started college at Berkeley, and soon started working at American Presidents Lines and United Airlines. She also lived in Ireland with her father in the early 1950s where she worked for the foreign service at the US Embassy in Dublin. Her mother who had remained in San Francisco passed away during this time.
Jo and her father lived near the family grocery store on Harrison, until they purchased a home on Baker Street in 1956. Jo lived out the balance of her amazing life with the Baker Street home as her base.
Jo's father encouraged her to return to school, which she did after his death on Christmas Eve 1961. Jo went on to earn a Master of Arts from Stanford in 1965.
After graduation from Stanford, Jo joined the faculty of City College and was a member of the teaching staff for more than 25 years. She initially was a member of the English department and eventually served on a committee to redesign the program to provide instruction for English as a second language. She subsequently created the City College Speech Clinic, where as a speech therapist she provided instruction, mentorship, and friendship to students until her retirement.
While Jo did not have her own children, her life was filled with the love of friends and former City College students from all regions of the world. Numerous former students thought of Jo as a mother by adoption. Her influence and mentorship for students are hard to summarize in any words.
After her retirement in 1992, she studied Italian and travelled extensively in Europe making new friends wherever she went. Jo never stopped her lifelong quest to learn, and she lived with a spirit of gratitude for the blessings in her life until her final days.
To describe Jo, one would say she was a marvelous, generous, and knowledgeable lady who challenged you to think and open your eyes to new possibilities instead of holding onto antiquated ideas. She became a part of everyone's family that she knew, confidante and friend for life.
She will be forever remembered in Cow Hollow as the neighbor who loved dogs, was a friend to all and the wearer of the most wonderful, attention grabbing and brightly colored hats, which she decorated herself!
Jo's life will be celebrated by friends at a place she loved - the Starbucks in the Letterman Digital Arts Center in the Presidio at 10 am on Sunday November 14th. Dress will be casual, and stories will be told. Any questions can be emailed to sandybatting@gmail.com. The celebration may be recorded and posted for those that can't make it.