Obituary Kathy Kennedy
Rick Evans
Kathleen "Kathy" E. Kennedy
November 20, 1950 ~ April 10, 2026 (age 75)
Kathleen "Kathy" Kennedy Obituary
Kathleen Elsa Kennedy completed her earthly journey on April 10th, 2026. Passionate, vibrant and deeply connected with others, she lived a rich, full life and was visited in her last days by many family members and friends.
Kathy was born November 20, 1950, in Corry, PA, to John and Patricia Kennedy.
Kathy graduated from Fairview High School in 1968 and attended Grove City College, where she majored in English Literature and graduated in 1972. She married Ronald Holstein and the couple moved to North Carolina, where, in addition to helping Ron restore antique furniture, she taught at the Irene B. Wortham Center for children with special needs in Asheville. In 1976, they moved to Fairview, to be closer to Kathy’s parents, and she worked at the Sarah Reed Retirement Center as Activities Director among many other jobs Ron and Kathy were avid antiquers, and started an antique business and refurnishing shop. They travelled widely in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York on their antiquing trips. She later moved to Erie and worked at Lake Erie Institute of Rehabilitation as a recreational therapist and was ordained a deacon at Sarah Hearn Presbyterian Church, where she also sang in the choir.
Kathy was a visitor to Chautauqua from an early age. Growing up in Corry, two of her best friends had houses at Chautauqua and she was their frequent guest. Summers during high school and college, she worked at the Carey, and spent many evenings at Snug Harbor or the Mar Mar. After college her antique and furniture restoration business brought her back to Chautauqua and Mayville frequently, as did visits to Corry to visit family and friends.
Kathy moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1987 to help her brother Jerry Kennedy, Professor of English at Louisiana State University, with house remodeling. She soon earned a Master’s Degree at LSU and began teaching courses in anthropology at LSU. There, she met and married Kent Mathewson, a geography professor, and with him began an adventurous life of world travel and research to Central and South America, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, and to Europe. In 1995, Kathy gave birth to a daughter, Mariana Elsa (Mimi), her pride and joy. She also enjoyed her time as a stay-at-home mom with Mariana. Mariana’s introduction to Chautauquans was very early. Mary Frances Bestor Cram was at her christening in North Carolina, and was one of her godmothers. In addition to teaching Elderhostel classes, co-leading Mariana’s Girl Scout troop, being an active volunteer in the Baton Rouge community, Kathy hosted many wonderful parties. She also served as an informal adviser to many graduate students in the department of Geography and Anthropology.
In 2011 Kathy became the primary caregiver to her father in Corry as he battled and eventually succumbed to cancer. Kathy and Mariana decided to stay up north to look after her mother Patricia. Rather than live in Corry, they decided to move to Mayville because of the excellent school and nearness to Chautauqua and its music programs. The first year they lived at Hunt Lea, but then moved to Mayville. During high school and college Mariana worked at Chautauqua in a number of jobs, but primarily with the music programs. For the past several years she has been School of Music Coordinator for the Chautauqua Connections program.
Kathy took the utmost pride in restoring her dream home, the William Howell House, an 1822 brick Greek revival farmhouse on the outskirts of Mayville. During her time in Mayville, Kathy made her mark in the community by hosting a Japanese exchange student, serving as Secretary of the Chautauqua Township Historical Society, volunteered for the local Democratic Party and the Mayville Food Pantry, on the church council at St. Mark’s and was a member of the Tuesday Club. She and Kent continued to take memorable trips, including to Cuba, Costa Rica, Panama and Europe, and she remained fiercely committed to equality, women’s rights, and environmental justice. She enjoyed many hobbies, such as gardening, reading, and spending time with her beloved cats.
Kathy was preceded in death by her father John, her mother Pat, and her younger brother Chris, and nephew Robert.
She is survived by her husband Kent; her daughter Mariana Bernstein (Greg), grandson Arthur, of Erie, PA; by her older brother, Jerry (Sarah) of Baton Rouge, their children and grandchildren. In her final weeks, she came to the understanding that through exceptionally compassionate care from the staff at AseraCare Hospice and Manchester Commons in Erie, and through many wonderful interactions with friends, family and strangers, that “Love is all there is, and it’s more than enough.”
In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor can be made to Planned Parenthood Donate - Planned Parenthood, American Civil Liberties Union Donate - ACLU, Westfield Stray Cat Rescue, the Mayville Food Pantry and the Erie Junior Philharmonic Donate - Erie Junior Philharmonic.
An outdoor and potentially irreverent celebration of Kathy’s life will take place this summer at an event locale on Lake Erie, as yet to be determined, between Northeast and Barcelona. For those wishing to attend, please contact Kent Mathewson, ke...@lsu.edu
