Lubbock Texas – Margaret Ann (Wray) Kennedy (93) of Lubbock, TX, passed away peacefully on November 6, 2024. Margaret was born May 18, 1931, in Kingsville, TX to Madonna Mozelle (Hunt) Wray and William Thomas Wray. She graduated from DeQuincy, LA high school in 1948. She was one of three children in her family, all of whom received the American Legion Award upon graduation from high school. She attended McNeese College in Lake Charles, LA. On June 5, 1949, she married R. “Fred” Kennedy, the love of her life, who was employed by Missouri Pacific Railroad. As a “railroad” wife, Margaret lived in Missouri, Arkansas, across Texas (San Antonio, Laredo, Lake Jackson, Hearne, Abilene, and Big Spring), and in Pueblo, Colorado. Although she had lived in five states and found something to love in each one, Margaret was always proud to be a native Texan and a citizen of Chickasaw Nation. Upon Fred’s retirement, they returned to Texas, living in Slocum and Palestine, TX.
Margaret moved to Lubbock in 1996 after the death of her husband and began volunteering at Covenant Hospital and various elementary schools. She played bridge in the New Neighbors, Metropolitan, and Bluebonnet bridge clubs, which brought her lifelong friends and formed the core of her social life. She was the friend who drove others to bridge games, organized bridge parties, and never forgot a birthday. She also delivered for Meals on Wheels, a mission in which she strongly believed. She was a member of Lubbock First Christian Church.
Margaret was a lifelong believer in the value of education, the importance of perseverance, and the power of music. Although it took her 14 years to complete her Bachelor of Science degree due to frequent railroad moves, she never wavered from that commitment. When her children started school, she returned to college, attending Laredo Jr. College, where she earned her AA degree and later, Sam Houston State University, from which she received her B.S. in Education. She taught English, Reading, and Music in Texas schools and completed graduate work at the University of Southern Colorado. Margaret and her husband, Fred, were charter members of the Missouri Pacific Retired Officers Association.
Music was a constant in Margaret’s life. She discovered and nurtured her soprano voice in high school, where she began voice lessons. Throughout her college experience, Margaret participated in choirs and special chorales, singing under well-known Texas composer Theron Kirk. Her work in his chorale earned her a music scholarship. When her children were school-aged, she led choirs and musicals at churches and schools and sponsored a Jr. Music Lovers program for high school girls in Hearne, TX. At Lubbock First Christian Church she became a charter member of the Silver Stars Choir, which sang in assisted living and nursing home communities around Lubbock.
Margaret is preceded in death by her husband, R. “Fred” Kennedy, her mother, Mozelle Hunt Wray, her father, William T. Wray, her sister, Marybelle Wray Jones, her brother, Ret. Maj. Gen. Wm. R. Wray, and her grandson, Colby David Piper. Margaret will be missed by her son, Stephen Kennedy (Cheryl) of Lubbock TX, her daughter, Karen McGraw (Bruce) of Denton TX, grandchildren Travis Kennedy (Lyndsay), Patrick McGraw, Marissa McGraw Hovingh (Andrew), Chris Piper (Amy), great-grandchildren Alex, Adelaide, Connor, Julian John (JJ), Adrian, and Klein, nieces Linda Wray and Donna Jones Selman, and nephews, Robert Wray, Steven Wray, and Alan Jones.
Funeral arrangements with Sanders Funeral Home in Lubbock, TX are pending. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Margaret’s favorite charities, Lubbock First Christian Church, and Meals on Wheels Lubbock.
