James P. Kennedy, 89, of Port St. Lucie, FL and formerly of Clayton, NY passed away Monday, August 16th, 2021, at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, NY, after a brief illness.
Jim was born February 5th, 1932, in Hailesboro, NY, the son of James M. Kennedy and Ruby Tuttle Kennedy. He graduated from Clayton Central School where he was an honor student and excelled at athletics, including being quarterback of championship football teams. In 1954, he received his Bachelor of Science degree from Union University Albany College of Pharmacy and obtained his license as a registered pharmacist.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1955 and spent the majority of the next two years as part of the medical corps in Garmisch, Germany. After an honorable discharge, he accepted a pharmacist position with Kinney Drugs in Gouverneur, NY.
On November 14th, 1958, Jim married the former Marilyn Howard, at the home of her parents in Gouverneur, NY. Marilyn passed away April 16th, 2005, at age 69, after a long battle with cancer.
In 1958, Jim and his father established Kennedy Pharmacy in Clayton. With long hours and hard work, the business flourished and became a mainstay of the community. He retired in 1987 and he and Marilyn spent winters in Florida. In 2001, they moved to Port St. Lucie as full-time residents, spending summers in Clayton.
Jim was involved in community activities in Clayton and a member of the Lions Club. He was an avid boater, golfer, and traveler, but his favorite place to be was on the St. Lawrence River.
Surviving are sons, Kevin (Ann Marie) of Charlestown, RI and Gregory (Rosemarie) of Niskayuna, NY; grandchildren David (Lucy) Kennedy-Wong, Danielle (Alex) Mihal, Christopher Kennedy, and Natalie Kennedy; great-grandchild Kylie Mihal; sisters, Mary Ann (Ward) Clark of Pinehurst, NC and Jean (Larry) Carr of Clayton, NY.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Save the River (www.savetheriver.org).
A memorial service will be scheduled at a time and place to be announced.
JOHN ANTIZZO
To the Kennedy family Iwish to send you my warmest condolences
on the passing of your father and,your grandfather
I dont have to tell you what a wonderful loving friend he was to all who
knew him. If there is such a thing as a pillar of the community it was Jim
He was loved ,respected,and a friend to the entire community
As one of our great presidents ,Lincoln, once said.
“May the fond memories you have of Jim help to assuage the
pain of his passing I hope to go some day whereever he went.
God bless
Linda LaLonde
Kevin,Greg,MaryAnn,Jean and all the family, I am deeply sorry for your loss. May your happy memories help you through this difficult time. Fondly Linda LaLonde
Leslie Varner
Jean and family, I am so sorry to hear of Jim’s passing. My heart goes out to you all.
Marilyn & Mark Rhodes
Ballantrae won’t be quite the same without Jim. Great neighbor and friend. Our heartfelt sympathies to the family.
John Penrose
Kevin- I always viewed your Dad as an icon and pillar of the Clayton community. I remember how proud he was when you were kicking those field goals for the TI football team. Relish all of those great memories you shared with him. My deepest sympathy—
Linda Shaffrey Slone
Jean, Kevin, Greg and rest of the family: I was so saddened to hear of Jim’s passing. He, Marilyn, Mom and Dad were the best of friends and shared so many wonderful times. He was a wonderful man. My condolences to all of you.
Todd C Marshall
Kevin, to you and your family. So sorry for your loss.
Joan Arena
Mary Ann and family, please accept my
deepest sympathy, at the loss of your beloved brother Jim. I know how close you were, and how difficult it is to lose a
loved one.
May Our Blessed Mother hold you close and bring you comfort in these trying times.
With love and Pax Christi
Joan
Dave & Geri Howard
It’s so very sad that Jim has passed. He was unique, always good natured, a terrific person with great integrity.
He will be missed but never forgotten along with so many fine memories…
Gail & Warren Dent
Kevin, Greg & your families,
It is with deep sadness that we learned of the passing of your father; please accept our condolences for your loss. We will always remember Jim as the love of Marilyn’s life, the proud father of his sons and the kind, gentle, fabulous person he was to all. When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. May you find comfort with your wonderful families.
Eric & Kristen Howard
Kevin and Greg,
We are so sorry to hear about the passing of your father. He was such a wonderful person. I always looked up to him as an Uncle who was very kind, calm, cool and collective. Some of my fondest memories were when we would visit your family at Uncle Jim and Aunt Marylin’s home on the river through the years. It was some time ago but seems like yesterday. Uncle Jim was always the first person out the door and up the driveway to greet us with a warm welcome as we arrived. I will never forget the many times Uncle Jim would take us out on the river in his boat, at times even if the conditions were rougher than I believe he would have preferred. That was the kind person he was. He will truly be missed and never forgotten. Our deepest sympathies to you and your families.
Eric, Kristen, Evan & Emery.
Tim Howard
Kevin, Greg and your families – My deepest condolences on your loss. Uncle Jim was a great man who was very kind and someone I had much respect for. I always enjoyed the visits at Uncle Jim and Aunt Marilyn’s house on the river years ago. They were always so nice and accommodating to our family and left us many good memories. You and your families are in my thoughts at this difficult time.
Brent & Susan Howard
We will always have fond memories of Uncle Jim whether it was on the St. Lawrence, at Silvia Lake, Christmas in Gouverneur or snowmobiling in Canada. Kevin & Greg, we are very sorry for your loss but grateful for the memories.
Mary and Danny Zottoli
To the Kennedy family we wish to send you our warmest condolences
on the passing of Jim. We will miss him here at Ballantrae and will miss seeing him at church on Sunday. Danny says that he enjoyed his golf games with Jim and will miss their time together. We will keep you in our prayers.