ELIZABETH KENNEDY GREENE BRANDIMORE

NOVEMBER 9, 1929 – JANUARY 25, 2025

With hearts full of gratitude and celebration, we honor the life of Kennedy Brandimore, who joyfully entered the presence and embrace of her savior Jesus Christ on the afternoon of Saturday, January 25, 2025. As a diligent and loving disciple, daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, she served her Lord and her family faithfully for over 95 years.

On November 9, 1929, Kennedy was born in the White City Tourist Camp, on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, the first child of Montana and O’Neal Greene. She entered a turbulent world as the Stock Market Crash of 1929 had occurred only weeks before her birth. Her early years were spent in Kenneth City, but, as her family grew with the addition of her sister Clodagh (Lewis) and her brother Monte, the Greenes moved to St. Petersburg, ultimately settling on Dartmouth Avenue. Kennedy attended Disston Junior High School, St. Petersburgh High School (salutatorian), and St. Petersburg Junior College where she met the love of her life, Stanley Albert Brandimore. While Stan went to serve his country in the U.S. Navy during the Korean Conflict, Kennedy attended Duke University where she received her nursing degree.  Upon Stan’s return from military service, Kennedy and Stan wed on December 27, 1952 in St. Petersburg, Florida at First United Methodist Church. This church held both past and future connections for Kennedy as her grandfather had participated in its construction in 1925 and her children and husband would attend it for many years, laying the foundation for her children’s faith. Following their wedding, Stan and Kennedy moved to Miami in order for Stan to pursue his juris doctorate degree. While Stan attended the University of Miami’s law school, Kennedy worked as an RN at the VA medical center to support Stan in his profession.

Once Stan became a full-fledged lawyer, the couple returned to St. Petersburg. Here, Kennedy retired from nursing to raise their daughter Vanessa and son Darrell. With joyful exuberance, Kennedy maintained the Brandimore home while actively serving in Women’s Service League and St. Petersburg Bar Auxiliary in both member and officer capacities. Having outgrown their first home at 6012 - 9 th Avenue North, the Brandimores hired Kennedy’s brother-in-law, Roger Lewis, in 1965 to build them a new home at 8338 – 36 th Avenue North.

With this move, Kennedy continued her community service work, adding PTA to her list of organizational involvement and expanding her role to that of chauffeur and cheerleader for Vanessa’s and Darrell’s ever increasing school and extracurricular activities. Despite the demands on her schedule, she developed a passion for tennis, and she and Stan became inaugural members at Treasure Island Tennis and Yacht Club. Kennedy spent many years at TITYC, developing and renewing friendships, while playing and helping coordinate the women’s tennis league. In addition, Kennedy continued her service to Christ by dedicating time to attending and teaching various Bible study groups, adult Sunday School (the Upper Room group at First United Methodist Church), Growth in Faith, and Bible Study Fellowship. She was a voracious student of God’s Word and devoted herself to strengthening her knowledge through study and reading. Her favorite authors were Dr. Warren Wiersbe and Dr. David Jeremiah, but she counted one of her greatest privileges as being a student of Ruth Glover Hill Munce, retired missionary and daughter of the Christian novelist Grace Livingston Hill. 

Throughout her life, Kennedy displayed her fabulously creative abilities by writing poetry, making elaborate (and sometimes outlandish) costumes, sewing clothing for herself or her children, playing piano, gardening, and creating decorations for home and community events. She also found time to journal incessantly, making detailed notes about every family activity or event.

With the departure of her children into their newly founded families, Vanessa’s in Montana and Darrell’s in St. Petersburg, Kennedy continued to care for her home (now a waterfront property on Boca Ciega Bay at 8573 – 42nd Avenue North), her cats, and her seven grandchildren. This latter activity became more difficult following Stan’s experiencing a debilitating stroke in 1998. Kennedy brought her nursing skills out of retirement and provided him with devoted and loving in-home nursing for seven years, until he passed in 2005.

From Boca Ciega Bay, Kennedy moved inland to the Harshaw Lake community, where her new “lake front” home at 3701 – 18 th Avenue North became her haven for the next twelve years.  She continued to enjoy gardening, bird watching, and, of course, caring for her cats. At this property, she took great delight in the Golden Rain Tree that grew in her backyard which blessed her with an abundance of bright yellow flowers annually. Yellow flowers held great sentimental significance Kennedy as Stan presented her with yellow roses every year on their anniversary. During this period, Kennedy, who had throughout her life taken meticulous care of herself and, consequently, experienced wonderful health, began to succumb to the effects of age. Beginning with spinal deterioration that required spinal fusion surgery, she was plagued by falls, infections, and hospitalizations. These events took a toll on her physically and mentally, ultimately necessitating her relocation to a senior living facility. Despite increasing physical limitations, Kennedy maintained her sunny smile, her love of anything purple, and her sense of humor. She took joy in photos of all her family and visits from friends, until she suffered a series of strokes from which she was unable to recover.

Kennedy will be sorely missed but is held in sweetest memory by her sister Clodagh Lewis, her daughter Vanessa (Steve) Lund, her son, Darrell (Kim) Brandimore, her seven grandchildren --Kenton (Alexandra) Brandimore, Shiloh (Joseph) Hubbard, Terah (Tim) Lynn, Meredith Brandimore, Keturah (Marcus) Schwarzrock, Naaman Lund, and Noah Lund -- and her nine great-grandchildren: Lydia Hubbard, Kennedy Brandimore, Ethan Hubbard, Emery Brandimore, Boaz Lynn, Georgia Brandimore, Luke Hubbard, James Lynn, Jakin Lynn.

Ever servant-hearted, Kennedy sought to serve those who needed assistance, whether through a greeting card, a meal, an act of service, or a bouquet. She found great joy in supporting others, and, in that spirit, the family asks that in lieu of flowers, you donate in her name to a service ministry that provides assistance and that spreads the gospel message, ministries such as Samaritan’s Purse, The Gideons International, or your local Church.   A private family Celebration of Life will be held for Kennedy later this month at the Harshaw home she loved.