Hugh Kennedy

Hugh J. Kennedy, Jr. was a passionate man, a man of character, of love and of faith. He lived his life deliberately, with a sense of purpose so much greater than most people. He had accumulated knowledge, compassion and wisdom from his life experiences, gleaning from both the positive and the challenging events that life brought him. Above all, Hugh considered his family to be his greatest gift and blessing. In 1926, life was good in the United States. Although a revolt in Nicaragua found military troops being sent to help preserve order, Americans were enjoying relative peace and prosperity. World War I was over, and the Great Depression had not yet threatened the U.S. workforce. For Hugh and Mabel (Zevalkink) Kennedy, Sr. of Grand Rapids, Michigan, the most special event of this year was the birth of their son, Hugh John Kennedy, Jr., on July 27, 1926. Hugh was the middle of three children with his sister, Mabel, and brother, Roger. Hugh grew up among the hustle and bustle of downtown Grand Rapids, living on Mt. Vernon Street. Life was not always easy as a Depression Era family, but his father was able to provide for their family working at Consumers Power Company. As a young boy, Hugh contracted polio and spent many months in bed recovering. He went on to lead a typical childhood though, working as a soda jerk at the local drugstore, where he learned to use Morse code to send telegrams. After graduating from high school in 1944, Hugh followed the same patriotic calling of other young men of the time, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He proudly served in the Pacific during World War II as a signalman. After the war, Hugh returned home and began taking classes at Grand Rapids Junior College and Kalamazoo College. While on campus, Hugh met a fellow student named Florence Blymier, and they began dating. Hopelessly in love, the couple was married after they graduated in 1950. The newlyweds then moved to Chicago, where Hugh enrolled in the Divinity School at the University of Chicago. Through his studies, Hugh came to love the history of religion and passionately studied all the diverse religions of the world. While living in Chicago, Hugh and Florence enjoyed taking in as many of the cultural activities the city had to offer, including museums and concerts. After graduating from the Divinity School, Hugh followed his calling as a minister, serving a church in San Leandro, California. While here, the couple welcomed the birth of their first child, daughter Margaret, in 1955. A few years later, the family of three moved to Clair, Michigan, where Pastor Hugh was called to serve at the United Church of Christ. Then, in 1960, he took another call at the First Unitarian Church in Alton, Illinois, and 3 years later, the couple welcomed the birth of their second daughter, Marcia, who completed their family. Time together as a family was always important to Hugh and Florence, so they bought a fixer-upper house in Pentwater, and spent many memorable summers here, swimming, playing on the beach and attending area concerts. When Hughs marriage to Florence ended in the early 1970s, he moved to the house in Pentwater, and spent time doing some soul searching about his future in the ministry. In time, Hugh went to work at Goodwill Industries in Muskegon, which was facing some tough financial challenges at the time. Over the next few years, Hugh was greatly instrumental in helping the company find solutions, like forming several businesses within Goodwill, including a recycling program with Landco in Whitehall, a janitorial service and opening outlets around the Muskegon area. Hugh eventually became the Director of Goodwill and served for over 25 years before retiring in the late 1990s. Besides being a well-respected businessman in his community, Hugh was a passionate supporter of the citys cultural activities. He was active in the Nelson Neighborhood Association, and was a member of the Friend of Glass at the Muskegon Museum of Art, Friends of Hackley Library and a longtime season ticket holder for the West Shore Symphony. Over the years, Hugh became close friends with Jean Mauseth, who had an extensive knowledge of antiques. On occasion, someone would donate their estates to Goodwill, and Hugh and Jean would then work together to organize an estate sale. Their friendship soon extended to outside the office, as they became traveling partners, taking trips to Europe, Germany, Greece, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, among others. No matter where in the world Hugh was, he always enjoyed immersing himself in an honest conversation about some of his favorite topics, life, religion, politics and social activities. Although his mind was as strong as ever, physically Hugh began to slow down. But being leisure did not stop him from enjoying lunch with his friends, trips to the farmers market and attending the symphony. His greatest joy, however, was spending cherished moments with his grandchildren, who he adored. In 2010, Hugh fell and broke his hip, which eventually led to other health complications that soon took its toll on his body. Hugh passed away on Tuesday, March 22, 2011, at the age of 84. He will be dearly missed. High is survived by his daughters, Margaret (Roger) Plichta of Muskegon, Marcia (Greg) Rappleye of Spring Lake; deeply loved grandsons, Carlos sister, Mabel Cunningham; and brother, Roger Kennedy. Services will be on Sunday, March 27, at 2:00 p.m. with visitation 1 hour prior to the service in Clock Chapel of Clock Life Story Funeral Home - Muskegon. Memorial contributions may be made to the Muskegon Museum of Art, West Shore Symphony or the Hume Home. Please visit Hughs personal memory page at www.clockfuneralhome.com, where you may share a memory and/or sign his online guest book.