Tressa Grace Kennard-Taber's Obituary
Our beloved Tressa Grace Kennard, sister, aunt, grandmother and friend, passed away December 28, 2023, at her home at the Renaissance Retirement Campus in Ohio. Her niece Tressa Grace was there to comfort her when she died.
Tressa was born March 24, 1935, in Clearfield, Pennsylvania to Jack and Hazel Kennard. She was the oldest of five siblings, including Gail, Fred, Dennis and Sally. Growing up, Tressa was always called Grace. She spent many happy times at her maternal grandparents' home in Shawsville, Pennsylvania with her sister Gail and her aunt Esther who was ten years her senior. Esther and Grace had a had a special relationship all their lives. Grace graduated with honors from Clearfield High School in 1953. After working for a year, she attended Penn State University until she graduated in 1958. Grace remained a fiercely loyal Nittany Lions football fan throughout her life.
In 1958, she married William Taber and moved to Connecticut. Grace taught high school business education classes until she had her first child, William, in 1962. Her second son, Mark, was born in 1965. After her divorce in 1980, she worked for Hubbell Corporation until her retirement. Before retiring, Grace decided she wanted to go back to school to get a degree in Financial Planning, a goal in which she succeeded with flying colors. Her son Mark died tragically at the age of 37, which left her heartbroken for the rest of her life. After her son's passing, Grace decided to move to Ohio to be closer to her sister Gail and her husband, George. At that time she also decided she would like to be called Tressa. With the unconditional support of Gail and George, she hoped to begin a new chapter in her life.
Tressa's hobbies were reading, gardening, photography and traveling. She went on a world cruise and came home with many stories of her adventures and even more photos. She also enjoyed a lively evening with family and friends and a glass of wine in her hand. Her fun-loving personality was contagious to everyone she met. Some of her happiest moments in her later years were spent at the Renaissance with her wonderful friends and her loving caregivers.
Tressa is survived by her son, William Taber; two granddaughters, Ashley Taber and Nikole Taber; her sister, Gail Price, and her children, George Price, Jackie Bohannon, Jeff Price and Jennifer Troxell; her brother, Fred Kennard and his wife, Carol, and their children, Elizabeth Kennard and Tressa Kennard; her brother, Dennis Kennard, and his wife, Joanne; and her sister, Sally Kennard, and her husband, Dan Morris.
She is preceded in death by her son, Mark Kennard Taber; her parents, Jack and Hazel Kennard; her brother-in-law, George Price; and her aunt, Esther Taylor.
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