Heath Mirick Kennedy, 64

Heath Mirick Kennedy, 64, of Haverford, a teacher and animal lover, died Monday, Oct. 29, of a virus at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She had pancreatic cancer for more than two years.

Mrs. Kennedy was born and lived most of her life at Hedgeley, her family's 37-acre estate in Wynnewood. When she was young, the menagerie included a donkey, a monkey, sheep, a dog, parrots, and her favorite - Siamese cats.

She graduated from the Shipley School in 1966 and earned a bachelor's degree in special education from Temple University in 1970, followed by a master's degree from Temple in 1972.

That year, Mrs. Kennedy became one of the first teachers at Woodhaven Institute in Philadelphia to work with special-needs children and adults.

As a college student, she studied animal behavior at Barro Colorado Island in Panama and used the experience to become a volunteer at the Philadelphia Zoo, feeding and cuddling the zoo's three baby gorillas. When a neglected chimpanzee became withdrawn, she helped "bring it back," said her husband, Mark B. Kennedy.

His sister introduced the two in 1973; they married in 1975. "We just complemented each other extremely well," he said.

In 1977, Mrs. Kennedy became a homemaker. Later, she helped him manage two companies - Kennedy Properties in Haverford and Standard Electronics in Norristown.

Mrs. Kennedy's late father was Henry Mirick, head of Mirick, Pearson & Batchelor architects. Her late mother was Marion Winsor Mirick, a great-granddaughter of Andrew Gregg Curtin, governor of Pennsylvania from 1861 to 1867.

Though socially prominent, her husband said, she "had a unique gift of making everyone feel comfortable."

She traveled extensively in Africa, Europe, and the western United States. She moved from Wynnewood to Haverford in 2002.

When it became clear that Mrs. Kennedy would not recover, she showed "a gentle concern for her family, rather than for herself," her husband said. "You would have never known she had cancer if you met her. She was positive but realistic."

Surviving, in addition to her husband, are sons Christopher and Tyson; daughters Devon and Ashley; two brothers; a sister; and five grandchildren.

A memorial service will be 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Church of the Redeemer, Pennswood and New Gulph Roads, Bryn Mawr. Burial in the churchyard will be private.

Memorial donations may be made to Caring for Carcinoid Foundation, 198 Tremont St., Box 456, Boston, Mass. 02116.