Don Kendall

Donald (“Don”) Kendall, 72, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, formerly of Ashland, Kentucky, passed away peacefully at home on May 7, 2026, after a three-and-a-half-year battle with lung cancer. Born in Independence, Missouri, he moved to Ashland, Kentucky, as a teenager. An Eagle Scout, he graduated from Paul G. Blazer High School in 1971 and went on to the University of Kentucky to study Civil Engineering. While at UK, he met his wife, Kristine, and the two were married on August 16, 1975.

His engineering degree was more than a career path; it laid the foundation for being the consummate "know-it-all." Whether he was explaining how power plants generated electricity or the only "right" way to solve the most mundane task, he always had the answer ready—whether you asked for it or not. Thankfully, this attribute helped him enjoy a long and successful career, including over 25 years at AEP, with stints in Pikeville, Kentucky, back to Ashland, and then to Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Along the way, at each stop, he made lifelong friends.

Outside of work, he enjoyed spending time with his family and being outdoors. In his earlier years, he enjoyed coaching his kids’ baseball teams and running their Boy Scouts troops. His idea of a fun family vacation, sometimes to the chagrin of his kids, was taking week long trips to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota. Later in life, on most weekends, you might find him biking, golfing, in the kitchen baking his famous chocolate chip cookies, being the master of his backyard, or attempting a DIY project. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of trees, often boring his kids (and later his grandkids) pointing out different varieties on family hikes. And, as a devoted bird admirer, he kept watch over his backyard for the sight of his beloved bluebirds all while maintaining a healthy (and mostly rational) grudge against sparrows. He often did this while manning his Big Green Egg (in between keeping meticulous spreadsheets for every single cook), starting an (often) unsolicited DIY project that (usually) was built to last, but almost always arrived late and over budget, or cheering on the Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, and (again, to his sons’ dismay) Ohio State football.

Don was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Marjorie. He will be missed and is survived by his wife of 50 years, Kristine; his sons, Bryan (Bridget) and Brandon; his grandchildren, Beverly and Nathaniel; and his brothers, Doug and Hal (Lyn).

Friends and family are invited to honor his life with a visitation on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, from 4 PM to 7 PM at Schoedinger Margarum Northeast, 1051 East Johnstown Road, Gahanna, Ohio. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Mid-Ohio Food Collective (https://mofc.org/).