Marlene Kennedy passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 11 at age 82. She was born March 25, 1937 in St. Paul, Minnesota to Martin “Red” and Virginia “Honey” (Taylor) Saugstad. Marlene spent many of her childhood summers at the family farm in North Dakota and on McCarron’s Lake in St Paul where she was one of the first female lifeguards. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in physical education from the University of Minnesota. In 1962, she met and married Robert Mann, who passed away in 1964. She moved to California where she met and married Robert Kennedy in 1967. Together, they had two sons and a daughter and settled in Danville, California.

A devoted mother and teacher, Marlene was also active in her local church choir and was especially kind and caring towards animals. She delighted in trips to the family’s lake cabin in Siren, Wisconsin, swimming and fishing, and taking her children skiing in Tahoe. Marlene had a deep love of travel that took her across the entirety of the United States (several times) and Europe, and to the UK, India, Canada, and the Nordic countries where she was thrilled to meet several cousins and other family members in Norway. In 2000, Marlene retired from teaching junior high math, then carried on being a substitute teacher for a number of years. After retiring, she joined the San Ramon chapter of Soroptimist International. Marlene was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, John and Martin “Zeke” Saugstad. She is survived by her chil- dren, son Eric Kennedy of Walnut Creek, CA; son Mark Kennedy of Santa Cruz, CA; daughter Kirsten Kennedy and son-in-law Mark Wesley of Novato, CA; and her beloved granddaughter Maura Hollenbeck. Memorial services will be arranged at a later time; memorial donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.