Teresa Lynn Kenedy

September 13, 1964 - May 14, 2019

Teresa Lynn Kenedy, 54, passed to a better place Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at the family farm located near Harvard, NE. A memorial service will be held to celebrate Teresa's life at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, June 25, 2019, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints where Teresa was a member. The Church is located at 1725 Crane Ave., Hastings, NE. Bishop Jim Bono will officiate. In honoring her wish for cremation there is no viewing or visitation. A lunch will be served following the service. Memorial contributions may be directed to the family to be designated later. She was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, September 13, 1964, the daughter of Max and Betty (Conklin) Switzer. She was married to Chad Burke for a short time and later to Daniel W. Kenedy, both marriages ended in divorce. Teresa graduated from Western High School in 1982. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 1988 and her Masters in Special Education in 1994 both from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She did part of her studies as a transfer student in London, England where she developed her life long love of all things British. Teresa taught high school in Las Vegas, Nevada, Omaha, Nebraska, Flagstaff, Snowflake, and Joseph City, Arizona. While teaching at the Coconino County Juvenile Correction Center in Flagstaff, she found that helping "at-risk students" was her true calling. She moved to Hastings, Nebraska in July of 2014 to teach at the Nebraska Youth Academy at the Hastings Regional Center. Teresa loved teaching and sought to be a positive, caring influence for her students. Teresa loved the Arts, traveling, especially in Europe and her family. She had a wide, diverse range of interests. She enjoyed music from symphonies to Rap, reading from classics to "Harry Potter", all types of movies, ATP tennis, motorcycle races and Husker football. She especially liked Shakespeare in the Park, museums, Art galleries and all types of paintings. She was herself a talented painter. She cared about all animals, donating from the World Wild Life Fund to local pig sanctuaries. She enjoyed fashion, was an avid shopper but was happiest in sweatpants and tennies. Teresa also loved holidays, birthdays, and any reason to celebrate with family and friends. She was intelligent, funny, and loved being silly. She was also an independent, introspective, private person. Teresa was a beloved daughter, had a special "big sister" relationship with her brother Eric. She was devoted, loyal and fiercely protective of all those she loved. We will always remember her beautiful smile, her bright blue eyes, and her loving personality. She leaves behind her parents, Max and Betty of Harvard and Las Vegas; brother, Eric of Sutton, NE, and his wife, Tiffany; brother, Keith of Oregon, and his wife, Tina of Apple Valley, CA and her three nephews, Ethan, Jared and Hayden Switzer. The family wishes to extend sincere thanks to the nurses and aides at Mary Lanning Hospice for the excellent care they gave Teresa during her illness.