Nancy Ross KENNEDY

1950 - 2020

KENNEDY, Nancy Ross (Age 70) March 23, 1950 - September 3, 2020 Nancy Ross Kennedy, 70, passed peacefully on September 3, 2020, at the Spokane Hospice House due to complications from cancer. She was born on March 23, 1950, to Margaret and Bob Ross in the small town of 600 people in Spirit Lake, ID. One of the highlights of her childhood was helping out in her grandparent's/parent's mercantile store ("Charters Store") until age 12 when the family moved to the Spokane Valley. Nancy graduated from Principia Upper School in St. Louis, Missouri. After high school, she attended Spokane Falls Community College and Eastern Washington University, graduating from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in marketing. In 2011, she completed her master's degree in International Business from Whitworth University in Spokane. Nancy had an extremely successful 29-year career as manager of marketing and sales at Group Health in Spokane, enjoying every new learning experience, including national travel. She was the steam engine that built a solid foundation for the organization's marketing success, as well as a base of lifelong friendships. For the past 13 years, she served as an Associate Faculty member at the Spokane Falls Community College Business Management department, and was engaged in many campus activities as well as teaching/mentoring her students. Advanced education was Nancy's passion, along with women's advocacy and literary programs. She had long been involved in the Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO), which focuses on providing educational opportunities for female students worldwide. Nancy was also proud to be the third woman to be inducted into the Downtown Spokane Rotary Club 21 in 1988, where she was actively involved. She also served as its president in 2004-2005 and was a founding member of the Club 21 Legacy Club, in addition to being a Rotary International Benefactor and recipient of numerous Paul Harris awards, all in the spirit of service to others. Nancy's extensive community involvementand her love of peopleis legendary, as she was a strong role model and mentor for women, and an avid supporter of many community organizations, including the YWCA, Chamber of Commerce, Hope House, Ronald McDonald House, Women Helping Women Fund, and public radio and television. She was 1986 graduate of Leadership Spokane. Words seem inadequate to describe how deeply Nancy will be missed. She made friends at every opportunity and then nurtured those deep and lasting friendships. Nancy was well loved and respected by her family, friends, colleagues and students alike. Her laugh and sense of humor, her spirit of adventure, her thoughtfulness, her generosity, and her amazing optimism, shall long be remembered. Nancy always said the best decision of her life was marrying Pat Kennedy on July 8, 2000. They happily shared their lives until his death in 2007. Her interests included travel and she loved attending the Spokane Symphony, Spokane Jazz Orchestra and the Broadway Shows. She was an avid reader and she cherished her two cats. Nancy is survived by her sisters, Virginia Ross (Bend, OR); Mary Kellar (Las Vegas, NV); and nephew Major Ross Hobbs (Sumter, SC). The family also extends its thanks to Kaiser Permanente and Spokane Hospice. Nancy was preceded in death by her husband, Patrick J. Kennedy (2007); her mother, Margaret Ross Thrailkill (2015); her stepfathers Lou Thrailkill and Hal Utschig; her father, Bob Ross (1962); and her brother, Charters Ross (1979). In lieu of a service, Nancy has requested that friends and families have small gatherings to celebrate her life and each other. Memorial donations may be made to the Community Colleges of Spokane Foundation (Chapter DD, PEO Margaret Ross Thrailkill Scholarship Fund) at P.O. Box 6000, MS1005, Spokane, WA 99217. The family may be contacted through email at info@virginiaross.com or by mail to Virginia Ross, 64682 Cook Avenue, #100, Bend, OR 97703.