Bobby Ray Kennedy, 84, of Katy, Texas passed away Tuesday September 6, 2016. A graveside service will be held at 2:00pm, Friday September 9, 2016 at Memorial Oaks Cemetery. A memorial service and celebration of life will be held at 2:00pm, Saturday, September 10, 2016at Katy Funeral Home with Pastor Doyle Lowry officiating.
Bobby Ray Kennedy was born June 20, 1932 to parents Cora Vera Riley Kennedy and Jesse Leon Kennedy. At a very young age, Bobby worked tirelessly to help support his family in Tyler, Texas by sweeping the local movie theater and working in the Tyler rose fields.
He was a brilliant mind, skipping grades and graduating from high school at the age of 16. His hard work and determination pouring iron at the local iron foundry allowed him to pay his way through Tyler Junior College.
Bobby was madly in love with his sweetheart, JoAnn Duncan while he was in basic training with the U.S. Army. While visiting Bobby at Fort Gordon in Georgia, the couple decided to go across the state line to Aiken, South Carolina and got married, thus starting the beautiful path of a 63 year adventure.
After the Korean War ended Bobby attended Baylor University where he graduated with a degree in accounting and economics. Upon graduation, he was hired by Magcobar, an oil services division of Dresser Industries. As a savvy businessman, Bobby was asked to consolidate and reorganize Magcobar’s Canadian division. After returning to Houston, Bobby spent many years traveling around the world for the company. His experience and expertise gained him the titled as the youngest Vice-President of Dresser Industries. He loved to tell stories of the earlier and wilder days of the oil patch in the U.S. and the politically unstable Middle East.
Bobby's passion was service to his church, teaching Sunday school to young people, and mentoring youth through Junior Achievement. He was an avid and accomplished bowler, having won numerous awards in several national amateur bowling tournaments. Bobby loved deer hunting, fishing for crappie and sharing these activities with his kids, grandkids and friends. This was the first Labor Day in 30 years that Bobby wasn’t able to gather with his hunting buddies to clean out the hunting blinds and prepare the camp for a new season. He knew it was time to prepare for a better season.
Bobby was a big, boisterous, joke-telling, affable man who never met a stranger. No person in his presence ever went unacknowledged or was not included in the fun. He loved his family dearly and was a loyal friend. We will all miss Bobby but are comforted by the knowledge that he is reunited with his family in the presence of our Heavenly Father and that we will see him again.
Bobby was preceded in death by his son, Robert Duncan Kennedy, his parents, Vera and Jesse Kennedy and one sister, Celia McCain of Arlington. He is survived by his wife, JoAnn Kennedy; his daughter and son-in-law, Tamberley and Lance Thomas of Albany, TX; and his son and his wife, Kris and Victoria Kennedy of Atlanta, Ga.; three sisters, Ardyce Uzzel of Atlanta, Ga, Shirley Harrison of Athens, TX and Dorothy Williams of Spring, TX.; and 5 grandchildren, J.T. Thomas, Sam Thomas, Hudson Thomas, Duncan Kennedy, and Lily Kay Kennedy.
Arrangements under the direction of Katy Funeral Home, Katy, TX.
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