William Arthur Kennedy

Bill was born in Auburn, New York on August 25, 1944 to Mary and Lt. Col. James Kennedy. Being an Air Force family they moved around the country and to Panama and at an early age Bill learned to make new friends wherever he went. He developed a “gift of gab” and a sense of humor that would follow him throughout his life.

A middle child, he had an older sister Anne and his younger sister Bonnie (Elizabeth). They enjoyed a happy childhood and shared a closeness that never waned. Anne preceded him in death, as did his parents.

After attending multiple elementary schools and junior high schools Bill graduated from Medical Lake High School where he played football and developed friendships that lasted his lifetime. He attended annual reunions and stayed in contact with many of his classmates. He went on to graduate from Washington State University and was proud to play football as a Cougar. His team was known as the “Cardiac Kids” because they won so many games against top 10 schools, many of them in the final seconds.

Following college he joined the Air Force and earned the rank of Captain as a bombardier in the Vietnam war. After leaving the Air Force he followed his interest in the medical field and worked for Phillips and Seimans selling diagnostic equipment to hospitals. He became a financial planner before retiring in 2005.

Bill met his life partner Linda Meyer in 2006 on EHarmony. It was always a joke that he had been on the site for a year and Linda met him on a free trial. They shared a love of travel, fine dining and just spending time together. They had many wonderful trips including to Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland, Greece and many trips to Mexico. While Bill never had children, he embraced Linda’s son Brent and daughter-in-law Laura and was known as Grampa Bill to their children Jack and Claire.

An avid weight lifter, Bill kept a rigid routine of working out and had the muscles and stamina that many men half his age would envy. No one could believe that a man so health conscious could be so sick, but in April of 2016 Bill was diagnosed with stage 4 gastric cancer. He fought a courageous battle and believed he would win. The Disease proved to be too widely spread and took him from us far too soon on March 16, 2017.

All of us who knew him will mourn the loss of our lovable Irishman.