Don T. Kennedy

Donald Troy Kennedy, 78, surrounded by his family in prayer, passed away peacefully on August 16th, 2025. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, son, and brother. He is preceded in death by parents, Troy and Edith Kennedy, and in-laws Cy and Pernie Pate, and brother in law Terry Pate.

He is survived by wife, Sharon Lee (Pate), daughters Jeni Lee and her husband Mike (West), and Kati Lee and her husband Brian (Van Poppel), along with grandchildren Ashley, Jason, and Troy. He is also survived by his twin brother, Ronald Leroy Kennedy and his wife Claudia and numerous nieces and nephews.

Don grew up in Farmington, New Mexico. He played basketball in high school and after attended Arizona State University. After college, he returned back to New Mexico to help run the Red Rock Trading post with his father in Red Valley Arizona. Don spoke fluent Navajo and had a wonderful relationship with his Navajo friends and customers, and stayed in contact with former employees until the day he died. After this, his career led him to owning Kennedy Pontiac in Farmington, New Mexico. After selling the dealership he began to chase his number 1 passion (see below), moved to Dahlonega, GA and went to work for Barry Grant Fuel Systems, working for a company servicing the drag racing community. After a few years in Georgia, Don moved his family back out west to Phoenix Arizona where he became an insurance consultant.

Don was a devoted family man with a deep love for his church. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; Gallatin Ward. His passion was bringing new converts into the church working with Missionaries who dearly loved his devotion to them and the new members.

A close second was his love for drag racing. He started drag racing as a teenager. He told so many stories about his early racing career and racing at Bee-Line Dragway. After his years of local racing, he started racing the NHRA circuit with his wife, Sharon, and daughters, Jeni and Kati, by his side. They traveled all throughout the west competing in events and building amazing memories as a family. One of his proudest moments is that he was one of the innovators of the Super Stock GT class, which made the class enjoyable and attainable for many up to this day. The last few years, he was able to combine work with his passion and began selling race car insurance. He had hundreds of clients and loved that he got to really know his customers and build a relationship with people who had the same passion as him.

The service for Don is Saturday August 30th, at Forest Lawn Funeral Home. Visitation starts at 10 and the service starts at noon with burial immediately following.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to consider contributions to:

Peer Place: A Day program for adults with disabilities that his granddaughter Ashley attends. Gifts may be made through First Baptist Church at https://fbchville.com/give or by check, with “Peer Place” noted in the memo.

Darrell Gwynn Foundation:A foundation that works to prevent and cure spinal cord injuries and other debilitating illnesses by funding research and providing assistance to those affected. https://darrellgwynn.com/