Clara Kennedy, 89, passed away peacefully on July 26th, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of strength, selflessness, and quiet determination. She was a woman who lived life with purpose. Always working, always creating, and always loving without hesitation. She was a force of nature from the very beginning. She carved her own path with determination and grit, embracing and overcoming life’s challenges with open arms and a courageous heart. Her hands were always busy, whether crafting warmth into every stitch of her beautiful crochet work or building homes that stood as symbols of her strength and capability. She found great joy in creating spaces, memories, and love.

Born in Decatur, Indiana, Clara was the daughter of the late Louis Henry and Susie Belle Schroeder. She was one of five children and shared a special, lifelong bond with her twin sister, Donna (the late Isham) Brown. She was also a sibling to two brothers, Robert (Wynetta) Schroeder and Richard (Dorothy) Schroeder, and an older sister, Betty (Ralph) Hunter.

Clara was a loving and devoted mother to two beautiful girls, Sharon Kay Fiscus and Connie Lewis. 

Clara spent 33 years working at Anchor Glass in Winchester, Indiana, where she was admired for her dedication and work ethic. In her free time of work and mothering, she enjoyed being a member of the Winchester Ladies Glassco Bowling League for several years where she won Most Improved Player in 1986-87. After retiring, she and her husband moved by Lake Norris in Tennessee, along with her twin sister. There she enjoyed the next chapter of her life as a home caregiver, offering comfort and companionship to others with the same care she gave her own family. She was also an active member of Caryville Baptist Church, where she found strength in faith and community.

She shared 37 years of marriage with her late husband, Leon Kennedy. Together, they were more than partners in life; they were builders. Side by side, they constructed homes with their own hands, crafting not just walls and roofs but places of love, laughter, and family. Clara’s love for creating extended to her hobbies as well. She was a skilled crocheter and puzzle-solver, always working with quiet focus and remarkable talent, where she prided herself in being able to craft a personal gift to all in her family every Christmas.

Clara thoroughly enjoyed a life on the water, whether it was skiing, swimming, tubing, boating, or fishing. She enjoyed these water hobbies with all of her family. The water is where they were able to create lasting, cherished memories. 

As health issues and dementia gradually took hold, her granddaughter Jennifer became her loving caregiver. And though Clara’s memory may have begun to fade, her spirit and gratitude never did, as she always kept a smile on her face. 

Throughout the different stages of her illness, Clara began sharing memories of her childhood and early life; stories her family had never heard before. These unexpected moments became priceless gifts, revealing more about the strong, hardworking, and resilient woman she had always been. Even as it progressed, Clara’s spirit remained. She continued to crochet and piece together puzzles, her hands remembering the rhythms of comfort and creation that had defined so much of her life. Showing that her creative spark and determination never truly left her.

Clara Kennedy lived a quiet but extraordinary life. She built homes with her hands, stitched warmth into every chain of crochet, and gave love freely to all who knew her. She was a builder…of homes, of family, of legacy. Her life was a quiet testimony to dedication, perseverance, resilience, and unconditional love. And though she may no longer be with us, the foundation she laid continues to support all those she touched. While we now mourn the loss of her physical body, we rejoice in the fact that she is whole again and enjoying a reunion with her cherished loved ones. 

Clara was preceded in death by her parents, Louis and Susie, husband Leon, brother-in-law Isham, brother-in-law Ralph, her daughter Sharon Kay (Andy) Fiscus, her stepson Tony (Mary Linda) Kennedy, her siblings  Robert (Wynetta) Schroeder, Richard (Dorothy) Schroeder and Betty Hunter, granddaughter Michelle (David) Hoffman, and her two beloved fur babies, Snoopy and Troubles, who brought her constant companionship and comfort.

She is survived by her twin sister Donna Brown, daughter Connie Lewis, seven nieces and nephews, Ruth Ann (Richard) Hessler, Rita (late Ben) Kuntz, Steve (Roverta) Hunter, Rick (Todd) Hunter, Tyrone (Christy) Schroeder, Roberta (Patrick) Cookson, Robert (Kandis) Schroeder Jr., four grandkids Jennifer (Brent) Devine, Tim (Dena) Lowman, April (James) Covington, Nick (Heidi) Reid, 14 great grandkids and seven great-great grandkids. 

A celebration of Clara’s life will be held on Wednesday, August 13th, from 4:00–7:00 PM at Parsons Mortuary in Muncie, Indiana. In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations to Muncie ARF  (1209 W Riggin Road, Muncie, Indiana 47303) in honor of her deep love for animals.