Mary Regina (Jeanne) Kenna, 89, of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully with her children by her side on November 21st after a brief struggle with Alzheimer's disease.

Mary was born November 9th, 1933 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to William and Mae (Mangus) Miller and was the eldest of their six children. Her siblings were Dorothy (DelPrato), Barbara (Matyka), William, Ruthie (Kielzewski), and Joanne (Dick). Mary’s aunts Dell and Hazel played prominent roles in her upbringing.

Gifted artistically, Mary attended Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh before starting a family and relocating to Chicago. There, as a young mother of five, she enrolled at The Art Institute of Chicago where she studied under Ray Yoshida and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (1969). She went on to earn her Master of Fine Arts at the University of Chicago (1971) under the tutelage of Vera Klement and Harold Hayden. Her work was featured in one-woman shows in Chicago and New York, as well as galleries of the Art Institute of Chicago, Hyde Park Art Center, Phyllis Kind, ARC, and Artemisia.

She also held various positions outside the fine arts world, including as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi and Liberia, a real estate agent, research assistant, community college Adjunct Instructor of English, graphic designer/curator for Urban Investment, and AIDS Care Volunteer. Later in life she transitioned to healthcare and became a Registered Nurse (earning her BSN from Rush University), before retiring and returning to her full-time passions as an artist, constant gardener, and avid reader.

Mary was predeceased by her parents and four siblings. She is survived by her brother William Miller, five children: Regina (McKenzie), Regis, Richard, Kathleen (Schissler), and Matthew, as well as 14 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

Mary requested that no services be held and that her ashes be spread by her loved ones. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Chiwaukee Prairie Preservation Fund, Inc. in her name (https://www.chiwaukee.org/)

The family’s heartfelt thanks go to the staff of Sunrise of Willowbrook Memory Care and VITAS Healthcare hospice for their professional, personable, supportive care.

RIVER JOURNEY OF SORROW

Sorrow is like a river that we enter into when meeting with profound loss.

At first there appears to be nothing but water all around, as far as we can see.

As we travel down the river, gradually in the distance, an island appears.

We climb up upon the island and rest a bit before we continue our journey.

As we travel down the river, more and more islands do appear. Then, less and less water.

Gradually there are more islands than water. Eventually, we find ourselves up upon dry land.

I wish you many islands along the way.

~ As told by Gwen Osborn to Mary Kenna 1987

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