About this item
Rosemary (Rosie) Kennedy was born in 1918, the first daughter of a wealthy Bostonian couple who later would become known as the patriarch and matriarch of America's most famous and celebrated family. Elizabeth Koehler was born in 1957, the first and only child of a struggling Wisconsin farm family. What, besides their religion, did these two very different Catholic women have in common? One person: Stella Koehler, a charismatic woman of the cloth who became Sister Paulus Koehler after taking her vows with the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis of Assisi. Sister Paulus was Elizabeth's Wisconsin aunt. For thirty-five years indeed much of her adult life Sister Paulus was Rosie Kennedy's caregiver. And a caregiver, tragically, had become necessary after Rosie, a slow learner prone to emotional outbursts, underwent one of America's first lobotomies an operation Joseph Kennedy was assured would normalize Rosie's life.
About the Author
Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff is the author of ten books, including a Writer's Digest Selection for The ABCs of Writing for Children and Jackson and Bud's Bumpy Ride. The Missing Kennedy: The Secret Bonds of Four Women is her first adult memoir. Her aunt, Sister Paulus Koehler, was Rosemary Kennedy's beloved friend and caregiver.
A former Byline Magazine "Writing for Children" columnist, Liz wrote frequent humor pieces for the San Francisco Examiner as well as hundreds of articles and essays in newspapers and magazines such as Parents Magazine, Writer's Digest, and Parenting.
With degrees in Liberal Studies and Theater Arts/Children's Theater and two teaching credentials, she's directed plays and taught elementary, middle school students, and teachers. A speaker for international and state conferences, she presents assemblies and workshops for schools and libraries.
Born in rural Wisconsin, Liz moved to California for all her college and post-graduate education (Fresno State in Fresno, CA) , and has lived most of her adult life in the San Francisco area. She's married, and has one grown child.
For writing advice, ideas, and anecdotes, visit her blog http://lizbooks.com/blog, contact her at lizbooks@aol.com, or visit her at her website, www.lizbooks.com and www.missingkennedy.com
