Ruby Collins Kennedy, 80, passed away peacefully in her home on September 14, 2023. Born June 25, 1943, in Columbia, South Carolina, she was the daughter of Ruby Mae Beasley and Henry Mallard Collins. She has one older brother, Larry Collins, who she loved very much.
Mrs. Kennedy was educated in Columbia City Schools and graduated from Columbia High in 1961. She was employed by the S.C. Comptroller General's Office. Following that Mrs. Kennedy and her husband, George Kennedy Jr., had a local catering business. Mrs. Kennedy devoted her life to taking care of her children, grandchildren, and home. Her mother went blind when she was very young, and Mrs. Kennedy stepped in and took on much of the household responsibilities herself as a child. She learned so much from this experience and kept her home immaculate into her adult years. Some would say you could eat off her floor because her home was so pristine.
Mrs. Kennedy was preceded in death by her parents, Ruby Mae Beasley, and Henry Mallard Collins. She is survived by her husband, George Kennedy, Jr., her children, Janice Bennett (David), Keith Jennings (Alison), and George Kennedy III, her grandchildren, Kendall Walsh (Brandon), Kayla Sloop (Chris), great grandchildren, Brawley Sloop, McClaine Walsh, and Gunnar Walsh, her brother, Larry Collins (Ruth Anne), and her niece, Larianne Collins.
The funeral service for Mrs. Kennedy will be held at 3 o'clock on Sunday, September 17th, at Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Ext., 7600 Trenholm Road, Columbia, SC, with the Rev. Erwin Threatt officiating. The family will receive friends prior t]o the service beginning at 2 o'clock. A private burial will take place at Fort Jackson National Cemetery, 4170 Percival Road, Columbia, SC.