Shirley Cervantes

On May 11, 2023, Shirley Cervantes, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend passed away peacefully in Santa Clarita, California, at Sunrise Senior Living at the age of 85 years. Shirley was born in Stratford, Oklahoma, to Joe and Polly (Clay) Staats, the second of four children. The Staats family moved to Sunland, California, in 1940 where Shirley graduated from Verdugo Hills High School. After high school, Shirley worked for the airlines until she met her first husband, Robert “Bob” Kennedy, with whom she had three children, Robert “Robby” Jr., Linda, and Steven.

In 1978 Shirley and Bob divorced and she moved to Lancaster, California, with her two youngest children. During her time in Lancaster, she held several positions with Bank of America and Antelope Valley Bank. Shirley met her second husband, Fidel “Frank” Cervantes, in 1992 and they married soon afterwards. During their 28-year marriage, they lived in California and Arizona, and then went on to travel the rest of the country in their RV. They eventually settled back in California. Frank passed away in 2020 and is interred at Bakersfield National Cemetery.

Shirley is survived by her sister Peggy (Staats) Satterfield and her husband Buddy Satterfield; her three children Robby Kennedy and his wife Barb (Degenfelder) Kennedy, Linda (Kennedy) Petrik and her husband Pavel Petrik, and Steven Kennedy and his wife Agatha (Bakonyi) Kennedy; her six grandchildren (Jason Kennedy and his wife Jenny (Lucas) Kennedy, Presston Kennedy, Lauren Kennedy, Nikolas Petrik, Alex Petrik, Katherine Petrik; and two great-grandchildren Jaelyn Kennedy and Josie Kennedy.

Shirley will rejoin her beloved Frank at Bakersfield National Cemetery on July 21, 2023. There will be a celebration of life in her honor immediately following the internment in Santa Clarita.