Imogene Dinsmore Kennon, 102, of Tifton died Saturday, October 26, 2013, at Maple Court Assisted Living. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29, 2013, in the Chapel of Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals. Rev. Stephen Webb will officiate. A graveside service will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29, 2013, in Oak Ridge Cemetery with burial to follow. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, October 29, 2013, from 1:00 p.m. until the hour of the service at Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals.
Mrs. Kennon was born on October 21, 1911 in Panther, Kentucky and was the daughter of Dr. Virgil F. Dinsmore, one of Tifton’s pioneer physicians, and Francis Belle Kerrick Dinsmore, both deceased. She was also preceded in death by her husband of 72 years, Robert Mell Kennon, who died in 2004 at the age of 98; her sister, Pauline D. McCrea and her brother, Wilton Dinsmore.
Mrs. Kennon came to Tifton as a small child in 1912 with her family. They arrived on a train with their possessions and two horses. Her father set up his medical practice and, along with other local physicians, built and operated Tifton’s first hospital. Mrs. Kennon graduated from Tifton High School in 1930 and attended Georgia College for Men, now Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
She was a homemaker and was very active in the social life of Tifton for many years. She was an excellent cook, who loved to entertain family and friends. She was a charter member of the Azalea Garden Club. Mrs. Kennon was an avid bridge player, playing until age 101. She was a talented china painter and was well known for her work. She was a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church in Tifton.
She enjoyed living at Maple Court Assisted Living for 10 years. She made many friends among the staff and residents of Maple Court.
Mrs. Kennon is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Bob and Ann Kennon of Tifton; her grandsons, Dr. Robert E. Kennon and wife, Lacy Whatley Kennon of Middlebury, Connecticut and Jonathan Mell Kennon of Atlanta; and her great-grandchildren, Alexander Kennon and Katherine Kennon of Middlebury, Connecticut.