Patrick J. "Pk" Kenney

Patrick "PK" Kenney Obituary
Visiting hours at the Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home 326 Granite Ave Milton Friday 4:00 to 8:00 pm. Funeral Mass at St. Elizabeth's Church, Milton Saturday morning 10:00. Burial Cedar Grove Cemetery, Dorchester. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Pat's memory for an Education Account for his children, Ava and Patrick Kenney, c/o Boston Fire Fighter's Credit Union 60 Hallet St. Dorchester, MA 02124.
Patrick Kenney Jr. approached life the way he played football -- full speed ahead with fierce determination and infectious joy in life that he shared with family, friends, teammates, and coworkers.
And while his physical toughness manifested itself on the football field at BC High and the University of Maine, it was his mental determination, that got him through what his mother described as a "devastating medical condition" when, at age 37, a series of strokes turned his world upside down.
With the help his wife Lauren, his parents Donna and Patrick Sr., and brother Matthew, Pat Jr. waged an ongoing struggle against the concern that another stroke could gravely alter the course of his life. During arduous rehabilitation work at Spaulding Rehabilitation his competitive spirit kicked in as he showed his mother the goals for a particular session and then exceeded those goals.
"After the strokes I really think he appreciated things and felt like he had a second chance,'' said his mother.
And that second chance came with the greatest blessings of his life -- the birth of his twins, Ava and Patrick 3d, in 2021. "It all seemed like a miracle," his father said. "He had gone from the depths of suffering strokes to the highest of highs as a father whose life was even more joyous than he had dared to imagine."
"He was a great father," said Lauren. "I feel like he wanted to live life to the fullest after that because he knew tomorrow wasn't promised."
Patrick Kenney Jr. passed away at age 42 as the result of an accident on Dec. 2. He was born in Boston in 1981 and grew up in Milton. He attended Boston College High School where he played hockey, lacrosse, and football. He was so big, fast, and strong in high school that he played both offense and defense in a variety of positions. After high school he spent a post-graduate year at the Northfield Mount Herman School in rural Massachusetts where he excelled at football to the extent that he was recruited to play at the University of Maine. He not only played, but helped to coach as well when an injury sidelined him senior year.
After college, Patrick joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) where he served on the front lines managing a variety of disasters from Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey to storms in Puerta Rico helping people put their lives back together. While away on assignment he rarely if ever worked less than 12 hours per day seven days per week.
At FEMA, his outgoing nature an ease with all kinds of people enabled him to work cooperatively with state, local, and federal authorities to bring urgently needed relief to people suffering devastating losses. His desire to help other was a natural instinct. Throughout his life he was there to help his multitude of friends as well as family members. When his younger brother Matthew planned to propose to his girlfriend Kim (now his wife) Patrick used credit card points to secure an upscale hotel room for the couple on the special night and coached Matthew on what to say.
"He set a great example for me, the type of family man that he was, the type of friend," said Matthew. "Those are all things that I now strive to be."
Patrick had an extremely close bond throughout his life with both his parents. Said his father Patrick Sr.: "He was a great father and he was a great son, but he was more than that -- we were friends." Said his mother: "The last thing I said to him was, 'I love you,' which means a lot to me."
He is survived by his wife his wife Lauren, his parents Donna and Patrick Kenney Sr., his brother Matthew and his wife Kim, Lauren's parents Joanne and Kenneth Roberts of Plymouth, Lauren's sister Liz Boucher and her husband Corey of Plymouth, and her sister Bridget Machaby and her husband Steve of Whitman, and his dog Bailey. Finally, he is survived by his children, Patrick 3d and Ava.

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