Kenneth William Kavanaugh

Kenneth William Kavanaugh, 90, Sarasota, died Jan. 25, 2007. He was born Nov. 23, 1916, in Little Rock, Ark., and came to Sarasota in 1981, from Ft. Washington, Pa. Ken was an All-American receiver at LSU, and then had remarkable 60 year NFL career. As an All-Pro player, Ken won 3 NFL World Championships with the Chicago Bears. Then, as a coach and scout with the New York Giants Ken was a member of the teams that won 3 more NFL World Championships including two Super Bowls. Ken retired from the Giants in 2000. He still holds 6 Chicago Bears receiving and scoring records. As a B-24 and B-17 bomber pilot during WWII, Ken led his crew through 30 missions over Germany and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters. In Sarasota, Ken enjoyed membership at the Palm-Aire Country Club and was an avid golfer. He assisted his wife, Ann, in many charity events over their lifetime together. Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Ann Porter Kavanaugh; son, Ken Jr., and his wife and children, Betty, Virginia, Caroline, and Katy, all of Atlanta, Ga.; son-in-law, Henry Nehilla, loving husband of Ken's deceased daughter, Kristy Kavanaugh Nehilla; Ken Nehilla and his wife and child, Maribeth and Bradley, of Burke, Va., and Kevin Nehilla and his wife and children, Vivian, Katelyn and Colin, of Rochester, Mich. A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at the Palm-Aire Country Club on Feb. 11, 2007, at 2p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ken Kavanaugh's memory to Crystal Cathedral, P.O. Box 100, Garden Grove, CA 92842-0100 or the American Lung Association, 61 Broadway, New York, NY 10006.