William James Kennedy

Jim’s Story - William James Kennedy was born in the Arizona desert on October 29th, 1936. When he contracted tuberculosis as a young boy, his family followed the doctor’s advice and moved to San Diego for its temperate coastal air. The TB caused him to be confined to his bed for many months, and he missed an entire year of school. He graduated from Pt. Loma High School in 1955. Over the years, he has gone by many names. When she was angry, his mother Evelyn would call him William James Whitcomb Riley. His buddies used to call him Jimmy and his work friends called him Flaco (skinny), which made sense until he quit smoking and took up jelly beans. He has been called Son, Dear, Daddy, Uncle, Brother and Grandpa. And he has always been Jim. As a young man, Jim spent many months on an epic adventure to Central America. He and his buddies drove a DUCK, crossed jungles, ate a monkey, brought back a taxidermied galapagos tortoise and stories to last a lifetime. In his two decades of involvement in Boy Scouts, he proudly helped two of his sons become Eagle Scouts. He served as Scoutmaster for many years, and he was honored to help many other scouts achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. He also coached his daughters’ softball teams, and was happy to attend numerous other events celebrating the accomplishments of his children and grand-children. Jim was the supervisor overseeing the crews that kept the world famous Coronado Golf Course beautiful for more than thirty-five years. He retired at age 62. He and his wife, Ann, divided their time between between San Diego, Colorado, Arkansas and North Carolina, traveling the country, visiting their children and grandchildren, and caring for their family. He was tolerant beyond measure, loving his family through the good and bad. He was humble, hardworking, and never without a good dose of humor. Jim is sorely missed and fondly remembered. Jim passed away on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014. He is survived by his wife and partner of more than thirty years, Ann, his sister Shirley, seven children, ten grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.