Marion Ann Kenney

Marion Ann Kenney died Friday, October 24, 2014, in Phillips, Wisconsin, at the age of 86. Possessing a strong, quiet spirit, Marion devoted her life to loving and serving others. She was loved by all who knew her.



Marion was born June 6, 1928, in Chicago. She grew up on the south side of Chicago in a home rich with love. Her parents, George and Margaret Jandacek, taught her how to share and live with dignity: for a period of time during the Great Depression, Marion, her parents, and older brother George moved in with Marion’s grandparents and aunt when the family bungalow on Loomis Boulevard was rented out to make ends meet (the frame house that the extended family shared, and the brick bungalow on Loomis to which Marion and her immediate family eventually returned, lived clearly in Marion’s memories all through her life). Later, a little sister, Margaret, would complete Marion’s childhood family. Young Marion attended Fort Dearborn grade school, explored the south side on her bicycle, collected White Castle coupons, and forged lifelong friendships. From the year she was born, she also spent her summers in a place that would shape her entire life: The Homestead, a cottage nestled in the woods near the Elk River close to Phillips, Wisconsin. The Homestead was built in 1926 by Marion's grandparents, Marie Karlik Jandacek and Joseph Jandacek, immigrants from the modern-day Czech Republic. During yearly sojourns to The Homestead, Marion cultivated a love of simple joys, such as feeding deer and birds, swimming in the river, tending hay with George and, with her grandmother, clamming and preparing Czech sauerkraut. (She also developed a love of sweets that would endure until her passing.) Her life as a young woman was defined by the Brainerd Community Church, where she worshipped, served, and socialized while attending Calumet High School. She was remembered as a vivacious, energetic, and attractive woman. At church, she met her future husband, Norman A. Kenney, who had served in World War II, losing his older brother to the conflict. Marion's gentle spirit was a balm to the loss Norm suffered from the war, and she became his rock. They were married on September 10, 1949, and would remain soul mates until Norm's death on May 15, 2009. Norm and Marion settled in Downers Grove, Illinois, where they were active members of the First United Methodist Church as well as the Phillips United Methodist Church. They became devoted parents of three children: Norman Paul, Mary, and Jan. Norm became an executive in the insurance industry; Marion became the chief executive of the house, also working as an executive assistant at George Williams College while raising three children and setting an example for giving unconditional love. Her children fondly remember "The Marion Kenney School of Etiquette," or Marion's insistence for acting with grace and dignity regardless of the circumstance. Norm and Marion also made The Homestead a happy destination for family and friends, especially after Norm retired and they could spend more time in the Wisconsin north woods. Marion, who always ensured that The Homestead was a welcome home away from home, was known for keeping a loaf of cinnamon bread and a pot of egg coffee ready at all times. During her life in Downers Grove and at The Homestead, she passed on to her children and grandchildren the same appreciation for simple joys, such as taking walks amid the birch trees, reading a book by the fireplace or, in her later years, watching the loons on the Elk River. At church and home, she had an exceptional talent for taking a personal interest in everyone she met. She was the master of small, quiet gestures and soft words of advice that guided her family and friends. Those who knew her well also understood that she had a core of steel. She endured with quiet dignity enormous challenges that visited her body throughout her life: diphtheria as a child and a series of strokes during her adult life that would compromise her health in her final years. Even so, she retained many of the hallmarks that her friends and family loved so dearly: the twinkle in her eyes, gentle company, an ability to share flashes of insight, and a deep, abiding warmth.



Marion is survived by her sister, Margaret Susan (Jon) Hawley of Frankfort, Michigan; son Norman Paul (Brenda) Kenney of Houston, Texas; daughter Mary Ann Kenney of Downers Grove, Illinois; daughter Janice Margaret (David) Deal of Downers Grove, Illinois; grandsons Zachary Warren Kenney of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Asher Andrew Kenney of Houston, Texas; and granddaughter Marion Grace Deal of Downers Grove, Illinois. Marion is interred at the Lakeside Cemetery in Phillips, Wisconsin. In lieu of offering flowers, please send support to the Phillips United Methodist Church with a gift of your choosing. Checks may be made to the Phillips United Methodist Church in memory of Marion Kenney, 115 Center Avenue, Phillips, Wisconsin, 54555.