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Elta Marie Thompson Kennedy

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Elta Marie Thompson Kennedy

Birth	:	1919 Kansas, USA
Death	:	29 Jul 2010 Maryville, Blount County, Tennessee, USA
Burial	:	Barrancas National Cemetery, Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate	:	30.3553238, -87.2841187
Plot	:	Block 10 Lot 26
Inscription	:	1st LT US Army World War II, European Theater of Operations, On Army hospital ship Acadia
Description	:	OBITUARY AND ADDITIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ABOUT ELTA KENNEDY OBITUARY: Elta Marie Kennedy, the daughter of Winfield Scott and Martha Elizabeth (Rogers) Thompson, was born in 1919 in Kansas. She passed away on July 29, 2010 at Asbury Place in Maryville, Tennessee at age 90. Elta was the youngest of seven children. Her early years were lived on farms near Esbon, Kansas. At age 10, Elta moved with her parents, sister and 2 brothers into Esbon where they operated a restaurant. She graduated from Esbon High School in 1937. She earned her nursing diploma from the Trinity Lutheran Hospital... Read More	OBITUARY AND ADDITIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ABOUT ELTA KENNEDY OBITUARY: Elta Marie Kennedy, the daughter of Winfield Scott and Martha Elizabeth (Rogers) Thompson, was born in 1919 in Kansas. She passed away on July 29, 2010 at Asbury Place in Maryville, Tennessee at age 90. Elta was the youngest of seven children. Her early years were lived on farms near Esbon, Kansas. At age 10, Elta moved with her parents, sister and 2 brothers into Esbon where they operated a restaurant. She graduated from Esbon High School in 1937. She earned her nursing diploma from the Trinity Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing in Kansas City, Missouri in 1941, a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing in 1957, and a Master of Science degree in public health nursing administration in 1962 from the University of Colorado. As a member of the U.S. Army Nursing Corps between 1942 and1945, Elta made more than 20 crossings of the North Atlantic on army hospital ships operating in the European Theater of Operations, serving on the hospital ships Acadia and Seminole. She was united in marriage to James Edwin Kennedy on May 30, 1947 in Lebanon, Kansas. This union was blessed with 2 children. He died in an accident January 12, 1949 in Wichita, Kansas. She came to Wyoming in 1968 after developing a public health nursing program in Concordia, Kansas between 1957 and 1968. She earlier worked as a staff nurse and supervisor for the Lancaster County Health Department in Lincoln, Nebraska. Before her retirement on January 31, 1985 as head of nursing services section of the State Division of Health and Medical Services, a post she had held since August 1979. Prior to her appointment, she served more than 10 years as a consultant in the section’s home health services program. In 2006 she moved to Maryville, Tennessee where she resided until her death. She had over 60 years membership in the American Legion Post, Esbon, Kansas, Association of Retired Persons (AARP), and Anzio Beachhead Veterans of WWII. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband James, and five brothers and one sister and their spouses: Harold and Ina, Claud and Pearl, Leonard and Rosalie, Frank and Jaque, Leroy and Mabel, all Thompsons, and Leta and Loren Silsby. She is survived by her children Jill and James; two grandchildren, two step-grandsons; and three great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Gladys Kennedy (Kenneth) of Kansas and Julia Kennedy (Morris) of Pennsylvania; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends. (The obituary was written by Elta prior to her death, with death date filled in after her death, and adapted here to exclude the specific date and place of birth and some information about living persons). ADDITIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: In high school Elta wanted to be a writer or journalist; however, she did not have the “money or know-how” to attend college to study journalism. A close friend was enthusiastic about nursing school and Elta discovered that it cost little to become a nurse. She followed her friend’s enthusiasm and went to nursing school. None of her six older siblings had education beyond high school. After nursing school she joined the Army Nurse Corps because most young people were going to war. She, like many others, was following the crowd and had no idea what she was getting into. In looking back on the world travels and many adventures she had during the war, she wrote “But for the shooting and killing, WW II would have been great.” In an officer’s club in France in 1945 she saw a guy who looked familiar but she could not place him. He was reacting the same way. They started talking and realized they had gone out a couple of times in Casablanca in 1942. For one of the trips on the hospital ship, Snodgrass, the National Yo-Yo Champion, was a corpsmen. He would entertain the patients with yo-yo demonstrations. At night he would practice and taught Elta some things that allowed her later to impress young people with her yo-yo skills. When she returned home to Esbon, Kansas after the war she became involved with a local man who had likewise traveled the world during the war. Her husband Pete unexpectedly died when the truck he was driving was hit by a train two days after their daughter’s first birthday and with her three months pregnant. She immediately returned to her extended family in Esbon, Kansas and remained in that supportive environment through the birth of her son. She started working again later that year, but stayed close to Esbon and family. As a single parent with children two and three years old, she decided to attend college at the University of Colorado and get a bachelors degree. That decision indicates an unusually high professional motivation. Successfully achieving it indicates an unusually high amount of energy. That was followed seven years later by Eltra getting a masters degree when her children were in the 7th and 8th grades. Elta did her masters thesis on home health care and then implemented a program in Cloud County, Kansas. The federal government subsequently established a similar national program. During that time many “visiting dignitaries” as she called them came to Cloud County to learn from her practical experience in implementing such a program. After her kids were in college, Elta was ready for a change and found a public health nurse position open for the state of Wyoming. When she went for an interview in Cheyenne, Wyoming, she wrote to her son that “it is strictly a cow town — and I love it!” She got the position, which required her to travel frequently throughout the state of Wyoming. That suited her fine. After she retired in 1985 her primary activity was to research, collect, and summarize family history information including her experiences during the war. Although she had a variety of jobs and traveled widely, in her heart she always remained Elta from Esbon and frequently visited there throughout her life. (The additional information was written by Elta’s son Jim Kennedy.)

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Elta Marie Thompson Kennedy's memorial?
Elta Marie Thompson Kennedy's memorial is located at: Barrancas National Cemetery, Pensacola, Escambia County, USA.
When did Elta Marie Thompson Kennedy death?
Elta Marie Thompson Kennedy death on 29 Jul 2010 in Maryville, Blount County, Tennessee, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Elta Marie Thompson Kennedy's memorial?
Latitude: 30.3553238
Longitude: -87.2841187

Family Members:

Parent

Winfield Scott “Winnie” Thompson

(1873 - 1958)

Martha Elizabeth Rogers Thompson

(1882 - 1971)

Spouse

James Edwin “Pete” Kennedy

(1917 - 1949)

Siblings

Olliff Harold Thompson

(1905 - 1991)

Leta Bernice Thompson Silsby

(1912 - 1992)

Leroy Matthew Thompson

(1917 - 1979)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Barrancas National Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.3553238, -87.2841187

2. Old Warrington-Woolsey Cemetery
Warrington, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.3551700, -87.2857900

3. Chasefield Plantation Cemetery
Pensacola Beach, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.3246994, -87.2853012

4. Saint Johns Episcopal Columbarium
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.3852440, -87.2708270

5. Good Hope AME Church Cemetery
Warrington, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.3886800, -87.2761300

6. Saint Johns Catholic Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4027300, -87.2748300

7. Pleasant Grove Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.3600234, -87.3435663

8. Al Islam Da'Wah Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.3857700, -87.2150000

9. Donaldson Plantation Cemetery
Baldwin County, USA
Coordinate: 30.2880800, -87.2731900

10. Myrtle Grove Methodist Cemetery
Myrtle Grove, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4247780, -87.2923440

11. Saint Josephs Catholic Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4181271, -87.2408218

12. Saint John's Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4158001, -87.2352982

13. Temple Beth-El Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4213300, -87.2440300

14. Bnai Israel Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4222100, -87.2437100

15. Union Hill Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4309788, -87.3029099

16. Duncan Cemetery
Santa Rosa County, USA
Coordinate: 30.3600826, -87.1946030

17. Panton House Burial Site
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4071500, -87.2173500

18. Millview Cemetery
Millview, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4310800, -87.3239900

19. First Presbyterian Church Columbarium
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4145400, -87.2153900

20. Zion Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4234600, -87.2260400

21. Christ Episcopal Church Columbarium
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4171900, -87.2166500

22. First United Methodist Church Columbarium
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4168500, -87.2158200

23. Magnolia Cemetery
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4246040, -87.2258660

24. Old Pensacola Fort Burial Ground
Pensacola, Escambia County, USA
Coordinate: 30.4186990, -87.2169290