June 7, 1927 – July 19, 2023
Lydia Kennedy, 96 of Mesa, Arizona passed away on July 19, 2023, in Tempe Arizona
Lydia was born in Douglas, Arizona and lived between California and Arizona through different parts of her lifetime. She was a mother of four children, one daughter and three sons from two marriages. Most of her life centered on being with family, especially with her children. Children were drawn to her like a magnet by her voice, and she made use of that in her lifetime. She loved children and taking care of them and being part of their lives when she was younger. She had worked as a babysitter for many years, and was a teacher’s assistant back in the 1970’s.
Family was very important to her. She held her family close to her heart. Her family is very grateful to have had her in their lives for so many years. She believed in and had Christian values, and thought education was very important for everyone. Being a child of the Depression, she believed in thriftiness and saving. She led a very healthy lifestyle of eating right, exercising and was a connoisseur of supplements and vitamins. Her passion and joy were listening to music. The range of music that she liked was from the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. She liked her country music, followed by patriotic music, big band music and wartime music from the 40’s. (She knew how to work an Alexa like a teenager in her 90’s.) She will be missed by her family and friends.
Lydia is preceded in death by her parents, Jose Maria Lopez, and Rosa Cardenas-Esquivel. She is also preceded by her first husband, Charles Kennedy, her second husband Elpidio Enriquez, her brother Carlos Lopez, and sisters Delia Greenwood, Margarita Prentice, and Rosie Morgan.
She is survived by a half-sister Linda Lopez, one daughter, Claire Shelley and three sons, Scott Kennedy, Phillip Lopez, and Jaime Enriquez. There are also five grandchildren, Alexander Web Shelley, Danny Lopez, Katie Lopez, Samantha Lopez, and Delaney Rose Lopez, and two great-grandchildren, Garrett Shelley, and Elise Shelley.
Services will be held at Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery at 9:00 a.m. on July 28, 2023.
