August 9, 1944 ~ May 30, 2014
Kevin Kennedy, a genuine “sourdough,” was born in Whitehorse, Yukon on August 9, 1944.
Kevin was the eldest of seven children, and the family moved extensively around B.C.
From 1958 to 1964, Kevin attended the seminary of Christ the King in Mission City, and this experience, under the guidance of the Benedictine Monks, secured his strong Catholic faith and created many of the values that stayed with him the rest of his life.
When he left the seminary, Kevin spent 12 years as a steam engineer in several pulp mills and sawmills throughout the province. During this period, he was active in the labour movement and held a variety of positions in the PPWC. He had the reputation of being a very capable negotiator and earned respect on both sides of the table for his honesty and integrity. He married his first wife, Margaret Marra, in 1966 and they had two children, Bridget and Bernie.
In 1976, Kevin attended university and completed a B.Ed. degree and worked with mentally handicapped and disabled adults. In 1989, he returned to the University of Calgary and obtained a masters degree in Rehabilitative Psychology and joined his second wife, Bobbi, in her counselling practice in Cranbrook.
In 2000, they closed their practice and moved to Gambier Island, and Kevin worked throughout Howe Sound where his focus was mainly on men of violence. However, it was his work with First Nations communities that gave him the most satisfaction. He retired to Gibsons in 2011, and after an intensive struggle with cancer, he passed peacefully on May 30, 2014.
He is survived by five brothers and sister, his wife Bobbi, two children, Bridget (David Dunbar) and Bernie Kennedy (Christie), and five grandchildren: Alexander, Jason, Gavin, Sam and Kevin.
Blessed with an unfailing sense of humour, he loved kayaking, fly fishing – and single malt whisky! He will be missed by his large extended family and his many friends throughout the province. In lieu of flowers, donations are kindly requested on behalf of the Canadian Catholic charity, Development and Peace, or the BC Cancer Society.