Elizabeth Bray Kenney

Mar 19, 1945 -

Jul 14, 2025

Elizabeth Bray Kenney spent the last week of her life with her beloved husband, Matt, fishing in Resurrection Bay on their boat Vesper. During their 52 years of married adventures together, she managed to land hundreds of fish, among them a 200-pound halibut. Beth was well-known and -loved for her gourmet cooking skills. She was often found poring over recipes and clipping any dish that sounded delicious from newspapers and magazines. Instead of Chicken McNuggets, she created tempura "McButts" for her children, and Halibut Elizabeth for family and friends. It took a while to go through that much fish!

Beth grew up in Algona, Iowa, born the eldest of eight children to Dr. Daniel and Phyllis Bray. She was a nurturing and caring sister to her twin, Patricia; younger sister, Mary; and brothers, Bill, Dan, Mike, Rob and Rich. She took great pride in graduating from the College of St. Catherine and going on to travel and teach elementary grades all over the world through the State Department and Matt's various Air Force assignments. She studied at the Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland, taught in the Philippines, Germany, and various schools throughout the United States, and continued her vocation of teaching into retirement, most recently she volunteered to teach English as a second language to many arriving to our Anchorage, Alaska, community.

Beth never knew a stranger in her 80 years of life. She was inherently outgoing, a deeply kind, beautiful, thoughtful and loving woman, and a dedicated wife, mother and friend. She was gracious to anyone who crossed her path and imbued hospitality to all she met. Her husband and eldest daughter would often sigh heavily if an Iowa license plate was spotted, as it meant Beth would be taking an extra half an hour to make a new friend from home. They would both give anything to be waiting on her again.

Beth will live on in the hearts of all who loved her, most especially her husband, Matthew Kenney; daughters, Anastasia Kenney, Christina Magill, Catherine Wilson, Katharina Breustedt, Katy Purviance; and wonderful sons-in-law, Andrew Magill and Nate Wilson. She delighted in the time spent with her darling grandchildren: Jacob and Julia Magill, and Olivia and Audrianna Wilson.

Following early news of her death, numerous people reached out to share their delightful memories of receiving handwritten letters and cards which Beth had sent to them over the years. She offered love, counsel, solace, encouragement and unconditional support to all she knew.

Beth loved a gathering, and is likely deeply disappointed to not be in her Earthly form to attend her own funeral! She would want to hug everyone, catch up on family news, connect, eat delicious food and swap stories.

Beth was a devout Catholic, often attending daily Mass with her husband. Her faith was the cornerstone of her life, and early mornings often found her sitting at the table with coffee in hand, sunlight streaming through the window as she studied scripture and wrote daily theological and philosophical reflections.

Beth's funeral Mass will be held at Holy Family Cathedral at 11 a.m., on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. There will be a communal rosary preceding the Mass at 10:15 a.m., and a luncheon to follow. Her ashes will be interred at the columbarium at St. Patrick's Catholic Church. She would ask us to invite you to come and visit with her there, to sit on the bench in the garden, breathe in the flowers and have a little chat with her about how you are doing.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you honor Beth's memory by savoring special moments with your dear ones, enjoying some chocolate deliciousness and helping to spread love in the world.