Lucinda Rae Kennon

Lucinda "Cindy" Rae Kennon, dear friend, beloved wife, and doting mother, died after a lengthy battle with cancer on Sunday, April 30, 2023, at the age of 79.

Born the descendant of two pioneer families in the Klamath Basin, the Shucks and Dehlingers, she spent her childhood riding horses and ranching alongside her family. As a little girl she met the first great love of her life, an Arabian gelding named Ali Khan. The two would share many adventures together in 4-H, barrel racing, leading parades, and exploring on long summer days in the green fields of the Langell Valley.

While in high school at Henley, she participated in Student Council as Judge of the Student Court, she worked as the Editor of the Hornet Buzz, performed in theater, and served as Honored Queen for Job's Daughter's Bethel #51. It was during this time she met the second great love of her life, Dave Kennon. The two would marry in 1962 and go on to share many good years. It was from this relationship that Cindy would have what she referred to as the greatest love of her life, her two sons William and Grant.

Her boys would agree that they were blessed to have Cindy as their mother. Never focusing on their shortcomings, and always encouraging them to be their best, she reveled in their accomplishments and helped them find their footing when times were hard. She would do anything for her children, who undoubtedly did more to gray her hair than the passage of time, even if it meant going toe-to-toe with cancer for four long years.

Before her illness, Cindy worked as a real estate broker for nearly three decades. First with her parents, Robert and Stella Dehlinger, at Strout Realty, and later at other real estate offices in Klamath Falls. Later in life, as she began to care for her aging mother, she would work as the manager at the Newbrook Variety Store, as a part-time server at John & Lorie's Steak Country, and as a volunteer at Friends of the Pets—jobs that let her connect with people and animals. Ever the collector of lost souls and homeless pets, Cindy cherished many friendships in her life.

Despite her illness, she remained fiercely independent to the end and refused to let anyone tell her what to do. She could be a force to be reckoned with at times, but her stubbornness was matched only by her loyalty to those she loved.

Cindy was preceded in death by her parents and husband. She is survived by her sons William and Grant Kennon and their wives Vicki and Angelina, her grandsons Alex and Zach Kennon and Alex's wife Jessie, her brother Charles Dehlinger and his wife Barbara, nieces Beth Stiller and Sarah Fletcher, and numerous cousins and friends. We will all miss her terribly, but we know she would want us to celebrate her life with a tall glass of bourbon, a short story, and a good laugh. No services are planned at this time.