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Elsie Kennedy, 85, of Mansfield, TX, passed away peacefully at her home on October 22, 2019. The funeral service will be held in the chapel at St. Jude Catholic Church in Mansfield on December 11, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. Elsie was born in Devils Lake, North Dakota to the late Peter and Jenny Schwan and grew up on a farm in Webster. She graduated from St Mary’s Academy High School, became a beautician, then moved to Peoria, Illinois, where she and her husband, Claire Boostrom, of McVille, ND, started a family with two daughters, Debbie and Kimberly. She moved to the Clearwater area of Florida, had another daughter, Whitney, and remained in Florida for fifty years until moving to Texas with her husband of 22 years, Steve Kennedy, to be closer to her children. Elsie frequently entertained family friends and her home, which was usually the gathering place for holidays and family events. She made friends everywhere she went and never met a stranger. She was devoted to the Catholic church and attended mass multiple times a week with her close friends at St. Jude in Mansfield. She loved growing up on a farm and often spoke of it with fondness. Elsie was good at golf and belonged to Cove Cay Country Club in Clearwater for many years. She enjoyed playing the game, but liked the social aspect even more. Her talents were many – she could cook a great meal, make pickles, cut hair, manicure nails, sew clothes, pillows, curtains, bedspreads, create amazing flower arrangements to match any décor, install faucets, rewire lamps, put in a dimmer switch, install a deadbolt, hang a ceiling fan, fix just about anything, wallpaper, paint the house inside and out, stain the fence, plant bushes/trees/flowers, and was a fabulous decorator. She helped her friends using all of these talents and they were constantly amazed at her abilities and willingness to help them. Elsie is survived by her daughters, Whitney Turner and husband Michael, Kimberly Brady and husband Matt; sisters Veronica Thoreson and husband Dale; Donna Fletcher and husband George; grandchildren Nicole Enoksen, Chris Scherzer and wife Clairessa, Kristen Krenzer and husband Jesse, great-grandchildren Christopher Jr., Adelynne, Lyanna, Kyra Frances, Remy Patrick, and Roman. Elsie is predeceased by her daughter, Debbie Boostrom, and brothers, Ray and Martin Schwan. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital at http://giftfunds.stjude.org/elsiekennedy.
