Where do we start when we tell a person’s story? We remember from as far back as we know, or think we know, or hear from another person, and then we put the pieces together, and that is called “family legend.” Finally, we drill it down and try to compact years of life into a short obituary.
Dolores Faye Kennedy Heinen, age 91, died peacefully in her sleep Tuesday, March 29, 2022. She was born in Spokane, Wash., in 1930 to Robert D. and LaDella (Powell) Kennedy.
Dolores married her high school sweetheart Donald M. Heinen on June 26, 1949. The ceremony was held at Hidden Valley Church Camp on the Tucannon River near Dayton, Wash., where they attended as high school students.
Dolores and her husband moved to Yakima in 1966. She studied and earned her Realtor license and sold real estate in the Yakima Valley with Cahoon Realty. She was active in the state and national Realtor associations and traveled to many conventions.
She took great pride in her family history and heritage and was an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution Narcissa Whitman Chapter. She played piano and had played the pipe organ at church in many of the places they called home over the years.
Dolores loved to travel. With her husband they saw much of the country from their motorhome, often traveling with a club or close friends. She took a trip to Scotland with her daughter, Della, to see the many Kennedy castles, visit distant cousins and learn more about her Kennedy heritage. They cruised and flew to many interesting destinations during their marriage, with the latest being a trip last fall with her daughter and son-in-law to the Oregon Dunes to ride an ATV. She trained and received her pilot’s license and enjoyed snowmobiling at the family cabin and deep-sea fishing.
Dolores was preceded in death by her brother, Warren Kennedy, and parents R.D. and Della Kennedy. She is survived by her brother, Dale Kennedy of Pasco, Wash.; her husband of 72 years, Don Heinen; their children, David (Gail) Heinen, Douglas (Sherry) Heinen, Dean Heinen and wife Annette and Della Heinen (Loren) Heideman; and their 10 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
The family invites you to join us in a celebration of her life anytime between 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, May 15, 2022, at the Oxford Suites Yakima, 1701 E Yakima Ave., Yakima, Wash.
Donations to the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library help continue a service that Dolores depended on in her later years when her eyesight failed and are tax-deductible, too. You can find out more online at wtbbl.org and click on DONATE.
