Kathy Kenney
I attended Chaffey College for one semester after high school while working part time. I married Jim Burke in 1968 and we had two sons, Cory in 1969 and Chad in 1971. I continued to work for various local companies: JC Penney in Montclair Plaza and Alpha Beta at several stores, then as a trainer in their Riverside headquarters. During this time, I continued on my 20-year college plan at Cal State Fullerton majoring in Sociology and finance. I also worked at Chino Valley Bank and Century 21 as a Realtor.
As teenagers, my sons moved to Houston and then to the Seattle area with their father and I followed my dream of living at the beach, Belmont Shore and the Long Beach Peninsula for 7 years. In 1989, I moved to Seattle transferring with Kelly Services as the manager of the downtown Seattle office. I lived in the "Great Northwest" for 21 years. There I met and married my 2nd husband, Wayne Bowen, an avid outdoorsman. When my oldest son started his own construction/development company, I joined him as the office manager and obtained my real estate license. I worked and sold real estate, eventually becoming the broker/assistant manager.
Both of my sons married fabulous women and presented me with 3 wonderful grandchildren, Emily in 1995, Isaac in 1995 and Sam in 1998. I loved being able to participate in the lives of my grandchildren as they were growing up. In addition to babysitting, I attended their school and sporting events and we hiked, biked, sailed and waterskied. My sons still live north of Seattle. Cory owns/operates a group of businesses, Chad works in sales for a lumber company. My granddaughter graduates next month from University of San Diego and will be working in San Diego. My youngest grandson, Sam is starting at Washington State University in the Fall. The other grandson, Isaac, lives in Eastern Washington and attends a community college.
Grandson Isaac
Son Cory with wife Gigi and grandkids Emily and Sam
Grandkids Emily and Sam
Many of you know my nephew, Landon Donovan, who became a soccer sports legend. His Mom (my sister, Donna) and I began traveling to his matches when he played at the Olympics in Australia in 2000, which led me to my love of travel. We watched him play in Germany at the World Cup and in matches throughout the US. We often extended these trips to experience places like London, Paris, Rome, Greece, Turkey, Switzerland and Spain. I love cruising and have travelled to Alaska, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. I am fortunate to have seen places like Egypt, Israel, Costa Rica, and experienced the Vatican, Coliseum, and the Pyramids.
Landon's wedding with me and sister Donna
Australia
Egypt with sister Donna
Rome with Donna and Dad
Me and Dad in Costa Rica
I moved back to Southern California in 2010 when my sister retired and have been a Realtor in Redlands since then. It's been such fun reconnecting with so many old-time friends and living back in the great SoCal climate. In 2012, my Father moved from Arizona and now lives with me at Sun Lakes Country Club, a gated senior community on the golf course.
In addition to my love of reading, I have always been active with aerobics, running, Zumba, Pilates, and yoga classes. I am blessed with great health and am currently training for my first half-marathon in May. My dream is to retire soon and enjoy more travel in the near future.
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Classmates Found
Chaffey Class of 1967 Hoping to Attend the 50th Reunion