Mark Kennedy died Tuesday, May 17, 2005 in Gilroy. He was
81.
Mark Kennedy died Tuesday, May 17, 2005 in Gilroy. He was 81.
Mr. Kennedy was born in San Jose, in 1924. His family moved to Gilroy where he attended Jordan School.
He and his family later moved back to San Jose where he graduated from San Jose High School. He attended Santa Clara University until he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942. He served as a bombardier in a B-24 squadron in the 15th Air Force.
He came home to San Jose in 1944 and married his high school sweetheart, Jeanne Fischer. They moved to Gilroy in 1945 where he joined his father, Ed Kennedy in the ownership of Gilroy Lumber Company.
Later in life, he lost his wife to cancer. He remarried close high school friend, Phyllis Mortenson, with whom he spent happy times, until her death in 1999.
He was a member of the Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club, Elks Lodge, American Legion Post 669, and the California Waterfowl Association.
He served on the Gilroy Planning Commission, the Gilroy City Council, and the Wheeler Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees.
He is survived by his sister, Harriet Abel of Merced; children and their spouses, Mike and Sherrie Kennedy of Gilroy, Christine and Paul Wheeler of Gilroy, and Elizabeth and Mohammed Doroud of San Andreas; and grandchildren, Todd Kennedy of Phoenix and Mark and Carly Kennedy of Gilroy, Steve and his wife Julie Wheeler of Los Altos, Leslie Wheeler of Gilroy, and Mari and Shalley Doroud of San Andreas.
Memorial services will be held at 11am Tuesday, May 24, 2005 at Habing Family Funeral Home, Gilroy.
In lieu of flowers, donations to any of the following organizations would be appreciated; Santa Clara University, American Cancer Society, California Waterfowl Association, or a favorite charity.
