Joan Bosher Phillips Kenneke

Joan Bosher Phillips Kenneke, 89, of Oakton, VA, formerly of Bethesda, MD, died peacefully on November 11, 2024, with family by her side. Joan was born in Philadelphia and raised in Reading, PA, the daughter of Ralph Phillips and Leah Bosher and the younger sister of Barbara. When Joan was 8, her mother died. She and her sister moved to St. Catherine’s Home in Reading where they lived for 4 years under the loving care of the Daughters of Charity. From 12 to 16 years old, she lived at the Scotland Orphan School (now known as the Scotland School for Veterans Children in Scotland, PA). At the age of 15, she was reunited with her sister and father when he remarried, adding a loving step-mother and step-sister to her world. After graduating from West Reading HS, she attended St. Joseph’s School of Nursing and became a Registered Nurse.

It was during her time at St. Joseph’s, that she met her future husband, Al, whom she married on June 1, 1957 at Sacred Heart Church in West Reading, PA. Together they raised four wonderful children: Patty, Matt, Bill and Pauline.

Perhaps because she’d lost her mother so young, Joan was a fiercely devoted mom, who relished the smallest of moments and loved her children unconditionally. But it wasn’t just her own family that she adored, she “adopted” many others along the way. If you were lucky enough to land in her ever-widening circle of love and light, you earned a spot there forever. Her support was unwavering, and you could count on her for anything. Joan displayed this same penchant and passion for helping others throughout her career, which began in the nursery at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI where Al attended graduate school and both Patty and Matt were born. After Patty was born, Joan worked nights so that Al could be with his young daughter. Then when Matt arrived, she took a break from nursing to focus on her growing family. Their next stop was Brooklyn, NY, where Bill was born, followed by a relocation to Bethesda, MD, and the birth of Pauline. Despite a full house and four young children, Joan wasn’t convinced the family was complete until their first dog, Hondo the pug, joined the clan.

For the next several years, Joan’s days were filled with volunteering at schools, serving as swim team parent, organizing used book sales for worthy causes, and managing the never-ending duties of keeping a busy household humming. As the kids grew older, Joan resumed her career as the charge nurse at Fernwood Manor nursing home, where she was known as a compassionate caregiver with a much-needed sense of humor.

Throughout this time, the family hosted many foreign exchange students, which led to their friends landing at “Hotel Kenneke” whenever they were in the DC area, one visitor after the other. One of these students, Norbert Marcher of Austria, became her beloved fifth child.

At the age of 51, Joan stepped away from her career once more to join Al in Vienna, Austria where he worked for the International Atomic Energy Agency. It was a bold move for her to leave her family and friends and life in the U.S. to make her way in a new country; a move that awed her grown children. While there, she was active in the United Nations’ community and played a leading role in its huge annual charity book sale. Joan was an active member of her prayer group and traveled frequently with friends, forging lifelong bonds with many. She was known for the letters and packages she worked on daily. She was also known for her handwriting. . . so she typed most everything. While grateful to Al for encouraging the adventure to Austria, when their first grandchild was born, she was eager to return to Bethesda to be closer to their expanding family.

Joan savored her role as Memaw, devoting herself to attending sports events, dance recitals, concerts, birthdays, graduations and being there to witness the smallest moments from their lives. Best of all, by being such a strong and steady presence for them day to day, she was able to pass along her amazing sense of humor and model what it really means to love and care for others.

Endlessly curious, Joan surrounded herself with books—a passion that began at the tender age of 9 when she discovered that a library card was free! A lifelong advocate of public libraries, her favorite subjects ranged from history, nature, and faith to anything humorous.

Above her love for family, for books and just causes, and for caring for others, was her love for and devotion to Jesus. She often shared that she would be ready to “go to her reward,” when her time with us ended. That gives all of us who loved her great peace, knowing she is with Him now.

Remaining to cherish Joan’s memory are her beloved husband and best friend Al, their children, Patty (Joe) Donahue, Matt, Bill, and Pauline (Jim) Knipe; grandchildren Jake (Coral), Jude, PD (Racheal), Alex, Kathleen, Sean and William; and daughter in law Kathy. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Barbara, and step-sister Joan.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. John Neumann in Reston, VA on Friday, November 22, 2024 at 11am. A livestream of the Mass is available at https://shorturl.at/QZ0cR and will be accessible for 2 weeks following the service.

Please no flowers. Instead, consider a donation in her name to one of the many causes she supported that center on peace, caring for the environment, and showing empathy for people around the world in need, such as EarthJustice (earthjustice.org), the Jane Goodall Institute (janegoodall.org) or Compassion and Choices (compassionandchoices.org).