Kennedy Sharon Lynn Aurentz, forever 22, was born May 14, 2001 and departed this life on May 20, 2023. She attended Springfield Lutheran School and graduated from Kickapoo High School in 2019. Kennedy was the brightest soul and had the most beautiful smile and infectious laugh. She was an incredibly talented writer and artist. She loved her family & friends fiercely and could always bring light and laughter to any situation with her goofy comments & silly antics. If you were lucky enough to have known her you would know she lived her life big and loved with her whole heart. She was one of those people that when she said I’ll be there for you, she meant it. One of her favorite things was scaring people and she would hide behind doors, in cars, and even in showers to scare you then laugh & laugh. She excelled in school and was a natural athlete playing many sports from a young age and finally settling on volleyball and track in high school where she was State Champion in shot put her senior year. She was an animal lover and had a special place in her heart for her own dog, Prince, whom she rescued. She was also a music lover and listened to many different genres and loved going to music festivals & concerts all over the country.

Kennedy was all those things above and she also suffered from depression from a young age. This lead to other mental health issues and ultimately addiction. I say this because she was a big believer in advocating for mental health and addiction help. Her goal was to help others in the same situation. Unfortunately, the disease of mental health and addiction took her too soon. If you need help, please reach out to someone.

Kennedy is survived by her two parents, who loved her unconditionally and fought for her, Cory and Kasey Aurentz. Her two older sisters, Karman Rosendahl (Noah Smith) of Pullman, WA; Taylor Baker (Dave) of Springfield; and her younger sister, her best friend with whom she shared a special bond, Keira Aurentz of the home. She is also survived by her maternal grandparents, Kelly and Vicki Burk of Battlefield, her nieces Rita Rosensmith and Clarke Baker and a nephew Pax Rosensmith and several aunts, uncles, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Roger and Sharon Aurentz and her maternal great grandparents, Kenneth and Harriet Roed.

There are no words to express the gravity of the loss of Kennedy.

There will be a Celebration of Life on Sunday, May 28 from 1-3 pm with Pastor Sippy leading prayer at 1. Come prepared to have some food and share your stories and memories of Kennedy and wear whatever you want- the more fun & colorful the better- Kennedy would love that!