Maureen Kennedy Rodriguez

March 21, 1942 - October 8, 2026

Tommye Maureen Rodriguez, née Kennedy, was born on the 21st of March, 1942 to her mother Marie and her father Tommie Jack Kennedy in Mexia, Texas. Although she had half siblings, they were older and she was raised as an only child in the Baptist church.

She is preceded in death by her parents, her older brother Billy Fred, sister Doris, and granddaughter Regina.

After the passing of her father when she was only 14 years old, Maureen faced a series of challenges through adolescence and adulthood that would have broken the spirit of a lesser woman. After the end of her first marriage which produced two children, Lisa and Lynn, and brought her to Dallas, she purchased a home as a single mother. This was no small feat in 1972. A year later she found the love of her life living right across the street. Rudy moved to the other side of Gallant Fox Drive, and lives there to this day. For 54 years he was her constant companion, champion, advocate, and best friend. He was by her side through her final moments.

In 1979 she assumed the title of “Gran” which she would be known as for the rest of her life. She was a loving grandmother to 14: J.R., Angie, Tommy Lee, Gabe, Sophia, Siria, Jacob, Amanda, Zack, Edward, Jeanette, Regina, Linda, and Pamela. She will be dearly missed by them all.

She is survived by one of the most devoted husbands to ever walk the earth, her children Lisa ( (Raul), Lynn, Annette (Greg), and Little Rudy (Barbara), 24 great-grandchildren, and 14 great-great-grandchildren.

In life, she was tender-hearted with a soft spot for the lost and down-trodden. She was never one to refuse a stray, was an adopted mother to a few, and an honorary Gran to many more. She loved big, and was not shy about saying it.

She loved being with family, game shows, baseball, animals, and of course, bingo!

She was a curator of her family's history and always had an interesting story to share. She loved to read and learn.

Ever the colorful personality, she was a creative spirit and loved art, in particular brightly colored works. It didn’t matter to her if they were classical masterpieces on a museum wall, or hand painted crafts of folk art. She knew what she liked with a specific eye and it always involved a wide palette of bright hues. She could sew anything, and made custom painted clothing for everyone she knew. You’d never find her in drab-colored clothing, and no one will ever forget her hair!

She was quick-witted with a sharp sense of humor and loved a good laugh, even if she was the only one laughing.

One of her greatest gifts was the ability to befriend anyone almost instantly. She could find a compliment for anyone and had the unique ability to make even a stranger feel just a little bit better. She treated everyone as an equal and carried herself as no worse and no better than anybody else.

Her legacy is not just the memories she left with us all, but the lessons to learn from her life: Keep your head up, don’t despair, find joy and beauty in the small moments, be yourself, treat others with kindness, help those who need it, and above all else to love completely.