Sally Ann (Rusestine) Kennedy, 71, succumbed to lung cancer on Oct. 10, 2013.
Kennedy resided in Santa Ana since 1993.
She was born on Aug. 15, 1942, in Ferndale, Mich., the city in which she grew up. Sally graduated from Ferndale High School in 1960 and was her class homecoming queen. She moved to Southern California where she met former husband, Ian Kennedy, and together they raised their three daughters, Karol, Kim and Kristine, in Laguna Beach.
Kennedy retired in recent years from her work as a legal secretary since the early 1980’s. She was very close to her daughters and each of her six grandchildren, Tailene and Shane Wolmerath, Oliver and Piper Hammond, and Kaelyn and Kenna Rudolph, and one great grandchild, Hailey Wolmerath, and cherished her time spent with them. Kennedy often hosted the friends and family get-togethers at her lovely home where everyone would enjoy her beautiful yard and swimming pool.
She was an active member of the Carmen Chapter of The Guilds of Segerstrom Center for the Arts and was serving as their chairman at the time she learned of cancer diagnosis in early August. Kennedy also remained very active with her former Ferndale classmates, attending several reunions over the years and keeping in touch through Facebook.
Kennedy is now reunited with her parents, George and Lillian Rusestine, her brother Richard, and her beloved dog, Kami.
Her wonderful life will be memorialized on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m. at the Mesa Verde United Methodist Church, 1701 Baker St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. A reception will immediately follow at her home.
Kennedy’s last days were pain free thanks to the help of St. Michael Hospice and the gentle and kind caregivers that were lucky enough to have met her. Her surviving family would be honored if anyone who was touched by her kindness over the years made a donation of any amount to this organization. Donations in her memory should be sent directly to St. Michael Hospice, 5 Corporate Park Drive, Suite 100, Irvine, CA 92606 (http://stmichaelhospice.com/giving/). Additional information and photos may be found at http://www.oconnormortuary.com/obituaries/Sally-Kennedy/.
