Kristina Kennedy Daniels

Kristina Kennedy Daniels. November 1, 1945 – November 6, 2024. It is with great sadness that Kristina Kennedy Daniels’ family announces her death on November 6, 2024. Her loss leaves us stricken. Born on November 1, 1945, to Sonja and Dave Kennedy in Oak Park, Illinois, Kris grew up in Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio, and graduated from Oak Hills High School in Cincinnati. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting from Ohio State University in 1967, and moved to Corvallis in 1970 with her husband, Richard, and two small children. Kris was a source of radiance, cheer, humor, and inspiration to all who knew her. She was a committed and talented artist. Her intense and luminous oil paintings remain (at her home and in the homes of friends and patrons around the country) to remind us of her extraordinary gift and perspective. She was an ardent activist—at heart, a rebel—who worked tirelessly and optimistically to make the world more just and more peaceful. Kris was a loving and beloved spouse, mother, family member, and friend. Kris loved to celebrate—she loved holidays, especially Christmas, Halloween, and birthdays, and would take any chance to revel. She took great pleasure in making those days festive for her family and friends. She had a flair for pageantry and a gift for making people feel exceptionally welcome. Few things pleased Kris more than a long holiday dinner table lit with candles and lined with the faces of 10 or 20 of her favorite people. In summer, she loved to host friends and family in her beautiful backyard flower garden. Kris was an accomplished painter, printmaker, and graphic designer. In addition to making and showing her own art, she did design work for the OSU Center for the Humanities and the OSU School of Oceanography; and cover art for Calyx Press, Verso Books, and the Minnesota Review, among others. She crafted intricate and beautiful Christmas ornaments for widespread friends and family, and her home and garden in Corvallis were themselves works of art. She loved to read and garden, and was always listening to music. She gave generously of her time to art and artists in the Corvallis community. Her passion for color, beauty, and meaning inspired those around her. Kris is survived by her husband of 57 years, Richard; her son, Patrick (Caterina Bartha); her daughter Morgen (David Ruiz); and her beloved grandchild, Caterina and Patrick’s son, Jacob. A celebration of Kris’s life will take place on December 22, 2024, at The Arts Center in Corvallis, from 2 pm to 4 pm. In place of flowers, donations in her name may be made to The Arts Center, Corvallis Housing First, or Vina Moses.

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Kristina Kennedy Daniels

November 11, 1945 - November 6, 2024