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Brigadier General Kenneth Wade Kennedy Retired

Kenneth Kennedy Obituary

Brigadier General Kenneth Wade Kennedy (Retired) Brigadier General Kenneth Wade Kennedy (Retired), husband, father, engineer, soldier and civic leader passed away June 25, 2009 in Lakeway, Texas at the age of 90. Born to Joseph William Kennedy and Maddie Baxter Wade Kennedy in Nacogdoches, Texas on September 3, 1918. General Kennedy was preceded in death by his wife of over 60 years, Audrey Ruth Smith Kennedy originally of Woodville, Texas. General Kennedy was also preceded in death by his son, Kenneth Wade Kennedy, Jr. PhD, his four-year-old daughter Deborah Lynn Kennedy and his brother Joseph Kennedy. General Kennedy is survived by his daughter, Susan Kennedy, CPA, son in law Sean Walters, daughter in law Carol Quillen PhD. and granddaughter Caitlin Lohrenz all of Houston Texas. General Kennedy is also remembered by many loving friends and dedicated colleagues. General Kennedy graduated valedictorian from Nacogdoches High School in 1935 and then attended Stephen F. Austin University before being accepted as a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1941, ranking #1 in Civil Engineering, Military Engineering and Military History. In 1944 he attended the Army Command and General Staff College. 1947 found him graduating from MIT with a Masters in Civil Engineering. He attended the Armed Forces Staff College in 1957 and the Army War College in 1962, where he remained on the faculty as Director, International Relations Course. General Kennedy fought in World War II and was a Shore Party Commander during the Allied invasion of North Africa in November 1942 where he received a battlefield promotion to major. He served as an engineer advisor during the Greek Insurgency that concluded in 1949 and was decorated by King Paul of Greece. He fought in the Korean War as a Base Section Engineer and also spent one year in Vietnam as a Senior Engineer Advisor and later was named Theater Engineer by Commanding General William C. Westmoreland. In Vietnam General Kennedy planned and initiated the execution of the largest crash construction program in history, providing a base development plan for over 200,000 U.S. troops. During peacetime General Kennedy was involved in engineering projects for the Army Corp of Engineers overseas in Japan and Greece. His projects stateside included maintenance of the Mississippi River navigation channels and the construction of the early space launch facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida, for which he received a commendation from Werner von Braun after the first successful launch of a United States satellite. General Kennedy retired from his distinguished career as the Commanding General of Engineer Command Europe in Frankfurt, Germany. During his 30-year career with the Army Corps of Engineers, General Kennedy was decorated with the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with Cluster, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with Cluster, the Vietnamese Military Medal, and Campaign and Theater Ribbons. Once retired from the Army General Kennedy became the manager of the Austin office of Freese and Nichols Consulting Engineers. During that time he designed a majority of the water and sewer facilities in Lakeway, Texas. He was a Texas Registered Professional Engineer since 1972. He was listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the South and Southwest in 1972. He also dedicated his time to civic and political pursuits by becoming a Lakeway City Council member in 1983 where he served five terms and was Mayor Pro Tem for three terms. He was Chairman of the Lakeway Citizen's Review Committee. He was a trustee of the Lakeway Church 1988 through 1991. He was a member of the Board of Trustees for the Lakeway Civic Corporation 1993 to 1995 and was president of the Board 1994 to 1995. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Lakeway Recreational Association 1995 through 1996. General Kennedy was named Citizen of the Year by the Lakeway Civic Corporation in 1997. He joined the Board of Directors of The Pedernales Electric Co-op as an Advisory Director at Large in 1983 where he proudly and honestly served until June 2008. He was also a member of the Citizens Advisory committee of LCRA for development of the Lower Colorado River Management Plan for development of a drought management plan. General Kennedy loved living at Lakeway and took advantage of all that Lakeway had to offer by playing golf, playing tennis and sailing. He and his wife Audrey, whom he married in 1944, were avid dancers and were members of several Austin area dance clubs. They also enjoyed bridge and entertaining in the home they built on the 6th fairway of the Live Oak golf course in Lakeway in 1972. He participated in over 25 annual July 4th parades driving his 1971 Cutlass convertible. His sharp sense of humor and wise council will be missed by all his friends and neighbors. The family would like to thank Nging Saechao & Ben Serrano of Professional Caretakers for their dedication and care of General Kennedy over the last several years. Graveside services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, June 29, 2009 at Magnolia Cemetery in Woodville, Texas. Memorial services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, 2009 at the Lakeway Church, 2203 Lakeway Blvd. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the American Cancer Society, the American Parkinson Disease Association, the Lakeway Church or the charity of your choice. Obituary and guestbook online at http://wcfish.com

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Austin American-Statesman on Jun. 28, 2009.

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