N. George KENNEDY

N. George Kennedy, P. Eng. Nov 23, 1927 - Oct 1, 2014
George Kennedy passed peacefully in his 87th year at South Bruce Grey Health Centre in Kincardine, ON. He will be dearly missed by Sally, his loving wife of 61 years, and children Ted (Carol), Pat (Allan Hyde), Diane (Jim Squires) and Peter (Donna) as well as his nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He was predeceased by son Tim (1959-1975).

Norman George Kennedy was born of humble beginnings in Brown's Flat, New Brunswick. At a young age, he moved to the Wiggins Home for Boys in Saint John, NB where he was lovingly raised by Reverend Canon Hurley and his wife Hilda. The boys in the home called him by his middle name 'George' as there was already a boy named 'Norman.' The name forever stuck.

George was a gifted athlete and was once named Athlete of the Year at Saint John High School. While attending the University of New Brunswick for Engineering, he played on the varsity hockey team and still holds the school playoff career records for Goals Scored and Total Points. As a Civil Engineer, he worked across Canada on numerous projects including the Gander Airport, the D.E.W. line, Highway 401, and the Bruce and Darlington Nuclear Power Generating Stations. George moved his family to Port Elgin in 1971 to work for Ontario Hydro at Bruce. There he developed his passion for sailing, golf, fishing, and vegetable gardening. 'Fresh from the garden' was his favourite phase, and on many occasions, he would dig up his garden potatoes from under a foot of snow for dinner that night.

George never lost his love for hockey. He became actively involved in the local community as President of the Port Elgin Minor Hockey Association and a board member of the Western Ontario Athletic Association and Ontario Minor Hockey Association. George was also instrumental in bringing Oldtimers hockey to Port Elgin. Playing with the Oldtimers and the Central Ontario Over 50s (later 60s), he and Sally made many close friends and travelled to tournaments all across Canada, the U.S., and Europe. He continued playing until age 76, when sadly Parkinson's forced him to hang up his skates.

George spent his retirement years at Amica Swan Lake in Markham before his final residence at Kincardine's Trillium Court.

Friends and family are invited to drop-in to a celebration of George's life in the reception hall at St. John's Anglican Church, 518 Mill Street, Port Elgin on Saturday, October 11, 2014 between 1:30 and 4:00 p.m. If desired, donations can be made to a charity of choice or Parkinson Society Canada.