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Kenneth Joseph McNamara
Kenneth Joseph McNamara
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Kenneth Joseph McNamara of Rosemount and formerly of Inver Grove Heights passed away peacefully on January 30, 2025, at the age of 87. Born on March 24, 1937, in South Saint Paul, MN, Ken was the beloved son of Aloysius and Edith McNamara.
Ken shared a beautiful life with his loving wife, Alice Walsh McNamara, whom he married on January 18, 1958. Together, they built a family, raising four children: Randy (Debbie Ludwig) McNamara, Bruce (Joan) McNamara, Tammy (Mark) Greenlee, and Tonya (Craig) Dolezal. He was a proud and devoted grandfather to Nick (Sarah) McNamara, Josh McNamara, Matt McNamara, Zach (Madeline) McNamara, Anna (Brian) Kowalzek, Colin (Brittany) Pampuch, Courtney (Shaine) Alexander, Kinsey Greenlee, Grant Greenlee, Cormac Dolezal, Regan Dolezal and Finnegan Dolezal, and was blessed with many great-grandchildren.
Ken proudly served his country in the United States Army from 1954 to 1957 before dedicating 30 years to his businesses, McNamara Carpet Cleaning and McNamara Janitorial Service. His strong work ethic and commitment to serving his community were evident in all that he did.
A true Irishman at heart, he epitomized the merry and the melancholy of Ireland. Always quick with a joke and a hearty laugh, he was also known to tear up at Hallmark movies or any mention of struggle or sadness. A die-hard Vikings fan, he spent countless Sundays coaching the team from his favorite chair. He made a great Grasshopper, was an infamously poor sport at board games, and had an unmatched ability to make those around him feel deeply loved.
Ken is survived by his loving sisters, Theresa (Herman) Todd, Beverly (Jack) White, Jean (Frank) Stickler, Margaret (Arthur) Roarke, and Donna (Loren) Flynn, Sister-in-Law Jeanne McNamara, along with many nieces, nephews, family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Aloysius and Edith, his brother Richard, and his sister Mary (Jim) LeMay.
Ken will be fondly remembered for his kindness, dedication to his family, and unwavering sense of humor. His presence will be deeply missed but never forgotten.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, February 14, at the Church of the Assumption (51 7th Street West, St. Paul, MN 55102). Visitation will take place on Thursday, February 13, from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Roberts Funeral Home (8108 Barbara Ave., Inver Grove Heights, MN) and one hour prior to Mass at the church. A private interment will follow. Memorials are preferred to the family.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
1 Entry
Sue Levine
February 8, 2025
For 22 years Ken (and Alice) were my next door neighbors And, I couldn´t have asked for anything better - except for a hot young guy with a corvette! Just kidding! Ken always talked about getting a corvette & I´d tell him he´s too old & all it would do was sunburn his head!
As you can tell, we had a lot of fun picking on each other & pulling pranks on each other for most of the 22 years!
I´ll tell you a couple of them...
- I think it was only a month or so from when they moved in next to me that Ken called in a panic telling me "to get over here right away, Alice was on the floor!!!". As I was running over I was thinking, "why the h*** didn´t he call 911". I ran in through the garage door - Alice wasn´t on the kitchen floor, so as I go into the dining room I she´s sitting in the sunroom just fine!!! So the games began of pranking each other!
I think the best one I played on Ken was - I had a "For Sale By Owner" sign from the home I just sold and I put it in his yard. Right away I had 2 of my friends call him to inquire about his home "for sale". He insisted his home wasn´t for sale, but kept answering all their question about his house (like how many bedrooms, bathrooms, etc). I let about 15 minutes go by & I went over there acting concerned that they were moving already. He didn´t know what was going on. I showed him the sign and he said well no wonder 3 people called him about it. I was laughing so hard because I only had 2 friends call him, so the third person was someone else that must have seen the sign - LOL!
Anyways, Ken was an awesome, caring, kind, funny, sensitive and loving person. He´d help anyone with anything and do kind things without you knowing or asking.
Ken - I have no doubt you are in Heaven. I am so glad to have had you in my life. I will always cherish the fun we had, the years of laughter and having you right next door. In the last few years we bonded even closer with our health issues and the struggles that goes along with that. We each had our tear-filled moments and the nice talks to encourage each other to stay strong. I know it was hard!
Thank you for telling me (many years ago) that you loved me like a daughter. Even though it didn´t change anything, it made me feel a little safer to hear because I had lost my Mom & Dad and was kind of feeling like I´d lost my security blanket. It let me know you cared.
I´ll never forget you. And, I´ll forever cherish your kindness & friendship,
To Alice and the whole family, I´m very sorry for your loss. He touched many peoples lives and loved all of you very much! If there´s anything you need or just need to talk or reminisce please let me know.
I love you all,
Sue Levine
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