Robert Kennedy

The great teacher and fisherman has taught his last class and cast his last fly. Robert William Kennedy, 63, of Grand Rapids, died Sunday, April 13, 2025, after a hard-fought six-month battle with brain cancer. The world is poorer for his absence.
Bob was loved as a husband, father, son, brother, brother-in-law, colleague, teacher, and friend. He was an educator, inside and outside the classroom. Teaching was in his bones; it was his love language.
He was joyful, loud and funny.
Bob was born Sept. 2, 1961, in Grand Rapids, the second of four children of Rich and Pat (Cordes) Kennedy. He grew up in Belmont and attended school at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Belmont, and then Rockford High School. Bob went to Grand Rapids Junior College for a year, then transferred to Central Michigan University, graduating in December 1983 with a bachelor's degree and a teaching certificate. He later earned a master's degree in religion from Western Michigan University, but remained true to his CMU Chippewa roots.
At CMU, he met Pat Latus, but they never got past the "hello" stage because he was too shy to ask her out.
He did have time during his college years to form a fake fraternity: "I8a banana." No word on whether T-shirts were printed.
After graduating from CMU, Bob went to Arizona with a friend to seek a job, but soon returned to Michigan and was hired as the director of religious education at St. Michael's Parish in Remus. That's when he and Pat officially met.
A mutual friend hosted a group lunch in Remus, and Bob was there when Pat walked in. He said to himself, "There she is!", and they began dating and fell in love. They were married on June 27, 1987. They moved to Kalamazoo, and Bob taught at Kalamazoo Hackett High School for eight years, went on to teach at various colleges, then taught at Grand Rapids Catholic Central from 2001 to 2021, when he retired.
His one retirement request was to sit in chairs on the roof of Catholic Central, sipping bourbon, and smoking a cigar with his colleagues. And they made it happen.
He never stopped teaching, though. He took a part-time job at Cabela's in Grand Rapids and quickly became the store's fishing guru. In his first year at Cabela's, he was named outfitter of the year.
Bob was an unpaid fishing instructor to his brothers, his son, his son-in-law, his brother-in-law, and anyone else who was willing to pay attention. He caught many fish, but he felt just as much joy in watching someone in his circle catch one.
His brother Dennis remembers his first salmon-fishing trip on the Pere Marquette River. Bob set him up with leaky waders and a nice rod and reel. Dennis caught the first fish of the day, and then the second. Bob then asked for his nice rod back and gave Dennis a much older rig, and sure enough, Dennis caught a third salmon. "I was worried I might not get an invite back," he said.
Bob always preferred to fish on a bank or wade in a river. On two occasions, he got on a drift boat, and on each trip, Dennis managed to hook Bob.
Bob's passion for fishing began at a young age. He took every opportunity to visit his maternal grandparents and fish with his Grandpa Cordes on a tributary of the Pere Marquette. The lessons from Grandpa Cordes stayed with him, and for the rest of his life, Bob passed them along to friends, family and anyone else who was interested. ("Keep that rod tip up!")
Recently Bob told Pat that the top three days of his life were his wedding day and the days that their children were born. He was a loving and attentive father, and took great joy in taking his family fishing and exploring northern Michigan. The highlight of every summer was a weeklong vacation on Platte Lake. There they would fish, kayak, canoe, enjoy s'mores around a campfire, climb the dunes, and of course, go to the Cherry Bowl for a drive-in movie.
Before Claire and Zach went off to college, he made sure they both knew how to build a fire, change a car's tire and oil, debone a chicken, and make lasagna (so they wouldn't starve).
Bob is survived by his mother, Pat Kennedy; his wife, Pat Latus; daughter Claire (Phil) Aufdemberge; son Zach; brothers Dennis and Jim (Rita); and sister Barb (Will) Scott; mother-in-law Marilyn Willenbrink; brother-in-law Steve Latus (Ruth Stevens); sisters-in-law Jane Emmert (Gary); Janine Latus and Kristin Davis (Michael); and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father, Rich, sister-in-law Lynn Kennedy and sister-in-law Amy Latus.
A memorial celebration will be held Saturday, May 24, 2025, from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm, at the Grand Rapids Public Museum's Meijer Theater and Galleria. Access to a livestream of the service will be available through Ofield Funeral Home on his obituary page.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to a nonprofit fisheries or watershed protection organization of your choice.
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