Hester E. (Sigsworth) Kenney, 101, of Medway, died June 27 in the Veterans Administration Hospital in Bedford. She was the wife of the late Dr. Francis E. Kenney, who died in 1982.
Born in Newport, Prince Edward Island, Canada, June 13, 1913, she was the daughter of the late William and Catherine (Walker) Sigsworth.
Mrs. Kenney was a graduate of the Prince of Wales Teachers College in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. She taught on Prince Edward Island Canada for two years.
Hester wanted to become a Nurse and came to Boston in 1935 and first attended Northeastern University where she studied to become an American citizen.
She graduated from the Faulkner Hospital School of Nursing and became a Board Registered Nurse in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1939. She worked at hospitals in the Boston area and in Miami, Florida.
Hester married Dr. Kenney in 1943 at Star of the Sea Church in Marblehead, MA. Dr. Kenney and Hester had both enlisted in the service before they were married and reported for duty immediately after an abbreviated wedding trip. Hester served as a Lieutenant in the US Army Nurse Corps in the China Burma India Theater. She became seriously ill due to tropical diseases and was shipped home in late 1944 and was hospitalized for several months on her return. It was at this time that she was reunited with Dr, Kenney who served as a Lieutenant in the US Navy Dental Corps until late 1945. Their daughter Dianne was born while Dr. Kenney was in service.
The Kenney’s returned to Medway in 1946. Hester did private duty nursing in the Norfolk County area until the early 1970’s.
St. Joseph Church was a large and important part of her life. She was a member of the Catholic Daughters, Court of St. Joseph.
Mrs. Kenney was honored in 2008 as the Grand Marshall of Medway’s Memorial Day parade.
She is survived by her son Francis E. “Ted” Kenney, Jr. and his wife Maryalice of Medway with whom she made her home for the past 28 years. She was the mother of the late Dr. Dianne Kenney.
She is also survived by her granddaughter Molly Kenney, JD, a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Law. Hester realized her fondest hope that she would be able to celebrate her granddaughter’s graduation.
She is also survived by her brother Newman Sigsworth of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and was the sister of the late Jeanne Nyberg, Genevieve Gemski, Michael Sigsworth and Dr. Pius Sigsworth.
Her funeral will be held on Wednesday, July 2 from the Ginley Crowley Funeral Home (www.ginleyfuneralhomes.com) 3 Barber Street, Medway at 9:15 followed by a funeral mass in St. Joseph Church at 10:00.
Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery.
Calling hours will be on Tuesday from 4-7 p.m. In lieu of flowers expressions of sympathy may be made in her memory to St. Joseph Church, PO Box 557, Medway, MA 02053.