Dorothy (Mintzlaff) Kennedy, of Lexington, 87, passed away on March 18 at Sunrise Senior Living in Burlington.

She was the beloved wife of Joseph C. Kennedy for 56 years, the devoted mother of Joshua Kennedy and his wife Tatjana Saccio of Chelmsford, Daniel J. Kennedy and his wife Rachel of Amherst, Dr. Kathleen Kennedy of Great Falls, MT, Professor David I. Kennedy and his wife Holly of Shippensburg, PA, and Matthew D. Kennedy and his wife Suzanne of Novato, CA. She also leaves her much loved grandchildren Emily, Iris, Noah, and Daniel of Shippensburg and Caleb, and Sarah of Amherst. Dorothy was predeceased by her brother Donald Mintzlaff and her sister Violet Uschold. She had suffered for more than a year from cancer and memory loss.

Dorothy was co-author of textbooks for English composition used by millions of college and high school students, written in collaboration with her husband (pen name X. J. Kennedy). Among these were thirteen editions of The Bedford Reader , a collection of essays, and ten editions of The Bedford Guide for College Writers . She was also the editor of best-selling anthologies of poetry for children: I Thought I'd Take My Rat to School and Make Things Fly: Poems about the Wind , and (co-edited with X. J. Kennedy) Talking Like the Rain and Knock at a Star: A Child's Introduction to Poetry.

In 2014 Dorothy accepted an invitation from Madame Putin to take part in an international festival of children's books and went to Moscow as a guest of the Library of Congress.

Before her marriage she taught high school in Milledgeville, IL, and at Ohio University and the University of Michigan.

Burial will be private. Later this spring there will be a memorial service.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to Care Dimensions Hospice, 75 Sylvan St. B-102, Danvers, MA 01923.