Shirley Ann Colby Kennedy

With profound sadness we announce the passing of Shirley Ann Colby Kennedy,89, our loving and beautiful mother, grandmother, aunt and friend to all whoselives she touched. She passed away peacefully at her home in Cedar Hills, UT, on January 6, 2021. Shirley was born September 16, 1931 at the dairy homestead of her grandparents,Cash and Ruth Flower, in Fairbury, Nebraska. It was depression era and her family was leaving Nebraska on their way to Kansas, where her father hoped to find work. They later relocated to Willows, CA. and then to Marysville, CA, around the time she would have started 5th grade. The family later moved to Gardena, CA where Shirley attended and graduated from Gardena High School, class of S’1949. It was there that she met her devilishly handsome sweetheart, Jack. They were married July 10, 1949. Shirley and Jack raised three girls and one boy in Huntington Beach, CA for mostof their kids’ childhoods. In 1954, she even won Queen for a Day because she was the mother of 2 children with a third on the way as the wife of a Korean War veteran struggling to find a job after the war. Once her kids were grown, she went back to school and got her Associate of Arts Degree from Orange Coast Community College in 1983. She worked many years and retired from her job as the Administrative Assistant to the Vice Chancellor of Business Affairs at Coast Community College District in Costa Mesa, CA. Later in life and after retiring, Shirley and Jack moved to Liberty, UT to be closer to family, and to a property that would allow her to enjoy a new love – horses. She learned to ride horses when she was 50 years old. She happily rode in parades and won ribbons and trophies in competitions with her Tennessee Walker named Murphy. She taught any grandchild who wanted to learn how to ride but they also had to know how to muck a stall, feed and water, saddle and unsaddle and how to groom the horses too. She dearly loved her horses, Ruby, Cassie, and Murphy. She was also a devoted “dog-mom” and adored her dogs Maggie and Lexi. She loved going to the beach, beautifying her yard with plants and flowers and tending to them, painting, reading, bowling, figuring out crossword and jigsaw puzzles, keeping up on current events, and using her computer and her iPhone. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren always saw her as the “young grandma” because she was always so stylish and energetic and sharp as a tack. She kept up on exercising, getting her hair done, and enjoyed a relaxing pedicure. She alsolooked forward to visits from her grandchildren and great grandchildren, gourmet dinners at her grandson’s house, pizza and a movie with whomever could make it every other Friday, playing Dominos, and a good glass of wine. And anyone who knew her well knew she was a diehard Angels fan! In her final years, she lived in an assisted living facility and her family was proud to know that she was often a voice for those who wouldn’t or couldn’t speak for themselves. The workers and residents said she was classy, had a huge heart/heart of gold. When she saw things she thought were wrong or unjust she’d keep pushing for change until management addressed it. She always reminded her fellow residents that they were old but not dead and deserved respect. She was preceded in death by her parents, David Rowell Colby and Dolores Flower Reardon, husband Dwight “Jack” Kennedy, her daughter Laurie Lee Evertsen, and sister Corrine Gunderson. She is survived by her daughters Lynn Brown, Leslie (Anthony) Beals, son Jeffrey Kennedy, sister Dona Holliday, grandchildren Amy, Micah, Marie, Donea, Lindsay, Kelly, Caitlyn, and Matthew, her 19 great grandchildren, and nieces and nephews. Shirley will be eternally loved and forever missed by her children, 8 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren.

Shirley Ann Colby Kennedy

September 16, 1931 - January 6, 2021