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Christine Tedford Kennedy
April 5, 1934 – July 5, 2026
Christine Tedford Kennedy, age 92, of Greenwood, MS passed away as the sun came up on July 5, 2026.
Christine was born on April 5, 1934, to Victor and Lillian Tedford in Pontotoc, MS, She grew up in the Mississippi Delta, went to Gunnison and Sunflower schools and worked in cotton fields from ages 8 until she was 23 years old.
When she was 12 years old, she accepted Christ as her Savior at Rena Lara Baptist Church and was instrumental in her parents coming to Christ later in their lives. She said she screamed with joy when her parents got saved after she spent years praying for their salvation.
Christine left the Delta to begin working at the Mississippi State Hospital in Whitfield, MS as a nurse’s aide where she met Merl Kennedy on her walk to church. They were married in Magee, MS on December 6, 1957, at the home of a local minister who was also a car salesman and sold Merl a car on an earlier occasion, Christine was scheduled to work the night shift on their wedding day, so they hurried back to Whitfield after getting married. Years later she moved to the laundry department at the hospital when she became pregnant with their first child. She would eventually become a stay-at-home mom.
Her hand-stitched quilts are now family heirlooms. Crocheting was a passion she enjoyed for many years until her sight weakened. Doing paper crafts and watching westerns were other favorite activities.
After Merl’s passing and her children grew up, around 1987 Christine moved back to her beloved Delta to live in Greenwood, MS, where she made many friends and lived until her homegoing. Golden Age Nursing Home was her home for over a decade, and she enjoyed meeting new friends who worked and lived there and became like family.
Christine is preceded in death by her husband, Rev. Merl D. Kennedy, father, Victor Tedford; mother, Lillian Tedford; sisters, and their spouses, Doris Herod (Hal), Ruby Malone, Bobbie West (Lee), Loudeen Colt (Don), and Charlotte Dienes (Lowell); and her brother and his wife, Pete Tedford (Edith).
She is survived by her daughter, Teresa Freeman (Terry) of Lamar, MS, her son, Wally Kennedy of Indianola, MS, sister, Alma Russell (Al Minnick) of Lakeside, CA, and sister, Linda Leach (Jerry) of Greenville, MS.
Memorial donations can be sent to Dry Creek Baptist Church, 1246 Dry Creek Road, Mendenhall, MS 39114.
Visitation will be held at on Friday, July 10, 2026, from 10:00AM to 11:00AM at Dry Creek Baptist Church. Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 10, 2026, at 11:00 AM at Dry Creek Baptist Church. Burial will follow in Dry Creek Baptist Church Cemetery.
Colonial Chapel Funeral Home of Magee is in charge of arrangements. 601-849-5031
An online guestbook may be signed at www.colonialchapelmageemendenhall.com
MageeNews.com is the online news source for Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi
Visitation
Funeral Service
Dry Creek Baptist Church
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Burial
Dry Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
