Diana Kennedy

On Wednesday, February 24, 2021, Diana Kennedy passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 72.

Born in Willow Hill, Illinois August 8, 1948 to Ronald and Maudie Mae Gibson, Diana and her family moved to Banning, California in 1951 where she graduated from Banning High School. After working at the mayor’s office in Palm Springs, she decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in political science at the University of Hawaii. After graduation, she lived in Honolulu for ten years working in commercial real estate.

Diana eventually moved to southeast Florida where she met her husband, Jim Kennedy, in 1982. They lived in New York City, California and Florida before settling in Denver to raise their daughter Kathryn, whom they had adopted while living in California.

Diana was active in Kat’s schools and the Denver Ballet Guild, while also volunteering at the Denver Zoo. Caring for disadvantaged children was a passion for Diana, and she spent time and provided assistance to homes for single parents.

Diana loved to travel. She traveled all over the world with Jim and Kat, some of her favorite places being Italy, Ireland and Japan. She also loved the outdoors and was a fine athlete. She enjoyed playing tennis, scuba diving, horseback riding, skiing and hiking “14ers” with the beloved family dog Eliza.

Diana was also passionate about the arts. She read voraciously and was a prolific writer, going back to school after college to improve her writing skills. She had a deep interest in fine art, volunteering in various art museums, collecting art and eventually owning her own art gallery in Littleton.

We will remember her loving nature, intelligence and eccentric sense of humor. Diana was preceded in death by her father Ronald and her mother Maudie. She is survived by her husband Jim and daughter Kathryn.

A private memorial service will be held Tuesday, March 9th at Horan & McConaty in Centennial. Due to Covid-19 related limitations, please contact the family directly if you would like to attend. For those unable to attend the family will have a live stream available, please see link below. In lieu of flowers, please make a gift to support the Diana Kennedy Memorial Fund for Alzheimer’s Research at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Please send your gift in memory of Diana Kennedy to: University of Colorado Foundation, PO Box 17126, Denver CO 80217. On the memo line of the check, please note Diana Kennedy’s name and make it payable to the CU Foundation. Gifts may also be made online at https://giving.cu.edu/DianaKennedy .