January 26, 1940 – April 9, 2020

Margaret Kennedy, 80, of College Station Texas, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loved ones on Thursday, April 9, 2020 at her home. Survivors include her husband, Jim; her daughter, Jamye; stepdaughters, Kathy and Julie; and daughter by choice, Eve; sister, Peggy Halliday; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She was preceded in death by beloved stepson, Jimmy Kennedy.

Margaret won a yellow mustang from a grocery store contest in 1965. She needed permission from her husband Jim to have her photo taken for the newspaper, which was ironic, knowing what a strong-willed woman she was. Margaret helped raise four children in El Paso, Texas.

Margaret and Jim lived all over the southwest for construction jobs and made many friends through the years. She kept these friends throughout her lifetime, talking so much on the telephone they had to dig-up and replace the burned-up line. Many of these friends attended her surprise 70th birthday at Rock Prairie Baptist Church in 2010, a testament to her loyalty, supportive, and caring nature. Margaret and Jim were consistent and active members of Rock Prairie Baptist Church since 2002.

Margaret was industrious, dependable and trustworthy. She collected, recorded and distributed Sunday school mission money for over 15 years. Margaret kept to a schedule and worked hard to make us feel special and loved. One way she loved was through cooking: Thanksgiving meals were served on time and all at once. Family and friends recollect countless exceptional meals she toiled over for our birthdays and church events including chili rellenos, egg rolls, fideo, pies with perfect meringue and entire batches of cookies “just for you.” We marvel at the consistency of weekly beans and cornbread for 19 years! Her dinner miracles are appreciated across the generations and more with the passing of time. And if she wasn’t in proximity for your special day, still she remembered: birthday cards, on time, for 52 years consecutively!

Tough on the outside and all heart on the inside, Margaret showed us she loved us through hard work and service. She would be described as a strong woman who held the family together while holding the highest standards in her home and kitchen. Margaret ironed the sheets and fired-up the vacuum cleaner no later than 8am. Margaret was a doer and quick about it.

She and her girlfriends never sat idle. They drank coffee and completed projects together while tending to children and later grandchildren, always with immaculately frosted hair, in starched denim with those marvelous creases. More recently, she enjoyed Friday night dinners out with Betty and Gary after which, she and Betty would soundly defeat the men at pinochle.

A Celebration of Life is being planned for a later date at Rock Prairie Baptist Church pending notification. Per her wishes, Margaret’s ashes will be spread over bluebonnets next spring.