Christie Ann Kennedy was the 39th President of Temple Israel Sisterhood. She served from 1992 -1994 while holding a full-time job as a Division Order Analyst with Sun Co., Inc.

Christie's mother, Hazel M. Banfield (b. 1907) moved with her family to Oklahoma from Springfield, Missouri, in the early 1920's. William Herbert Kennedy (b. 1905) was born in Enid, Oklahoma Territory, where he met and married Miss Banfield in 1931. Christie always considered Oklahoma and Tulsa home for good reason.

Christie was born on January 30, 1950, in Shelbyville, Tennessee, the youngest of six children. She attended Catholic elementary school and public middle school. While boarding at Marymount School in Richmond, Virginia, she had her first social service experience as a Candy Stripe Volunteer at the Home for Incurables, a significant contrast to her summers at camp, visiting cousins at her grandmother's home in Tulsa, and, her favorite, going to the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.

Christie continued her education, achieving a B.S. Degree in anthropology from the University of Tulsa (1973) and a Master of Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, the University of Texas at Austin (1976).

Professionally, Christie was active in Women in Communications, Inc., as a board member and as chair of its new Christmas service project. For at least 10 years, Christie was a member of the (renamed) Oklahoma Conference of Community and Justice (OCCJ) Trialog Study Group.

Christie joined Temple Israel in August 1985, quickly becoming an active volunteer, helping with and sometimes chairing Temple and Sisterhood events; making table decorations, assisting with administrative tasks, and heading the yahrzeit project of putting the yahrzeit list on the computer.

Several notable accomplishments marked Christie's Sisterhood presidency; ratification of a new constitution to resolve operational issues and to formally establish the operation of the Queen Esther Fund and committee; a congregation-wise project to make challah covers for Temple Shabbat dinner table and families/children to make challah covers for Temple Shabbat dinners, and a needlepoint cover for the large oneg challah, designed by the same artist as the ark curtain. Sisterhood helped underwrite the House/People/Book pin project of the Judy Halpern Social Justice Committee, and independently raised funds for Call Rape, hosting the WRJ District 22 Interim Biennial. This special event brought out the best in everyone with their time and talents to host the largest District 22 event of the year.

Christie marked her presidency with change of pace for its annual fundraiser. Beautiful PhantomFest in May invitations designed (created) by a member of our congregation concluded with a Garden Party Celebration in Zola's Garden.

Sisterhood took a different path with the discovery of Miriam's Well in the Temple lobby! Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole month long. (The story of Miriam's Well is told on the invitation.) To Christie's knowledge, this is the first time a midrash was theme for such a special and important occasion.

Some years after her presidency, Christie served four years as chair and co-chair of the Temple Israel Sisterhood Judaica Shop.

Christie also has been active in the wider Jewish community. She served on the Temple Board as President of Sisterhood and as chairperson of the Temple Adult Education Committee, also on the Institute of Adult Jewish Studies Committee of the Jewish Federation. (She was the second recipient of its Certificate of Jewish Achievement.) She served on the Heritage Academy Board twice and was active in the annual campaign for the Federation, serving as co-chair of the business professional women's campaign.

Graveside services will be on Monday, April 6, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery, in Enid, Oklahoma.

Fitzgerald Ivy Chapel, 918-585-1151