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Joe Kennedy Obituary
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Memories and Condolences
for Joe Kennedy
Jo & Don Campbell
December 17, 2022
Dorothea and Family, Don and I send our sincere condolences for the loss of your wonderful husband and our dear friend, Joe. He will always be with us in wonderful memory. Love, Jo & Don Campbell
Shirley J. Wilcher
December 14, 2022
Joe I am so sorry to hear of your passing. Please rest in peace. You were an excellent Deputy at the OFCCP and so impressive that you were respected everywhere you went, even in the Secretary's Office on the "Second Floor." You were my proudest "acquisition" from HHS and your former boss Tom Perez never let me forget it. I was so proud to have you as my deputy director during the Clinton Administration. My love to the family. We will surely miss you. Shirley Wilcher, Silver Spring, MD.
Brian A Stephenson
December 12, 2022
Joe was a good friend and mentor to me. As a brother-in-law, I depended on his seasoned wisdom and keen insight when I started my business. Through his smile, he was welcoming and full of graciousness (regardless of his busy schedule, he made time for me). Beside business, I valued Joe´s calming persona. He always made personal time for the people that mattered. Images of Joe speaking with his children, one on one, are sweetly etched in my mind. Often, he was a quiet listener on a clan call with his sisters. And, as a team, there was, of course, no Joe without Doe. Humble, accomplished, generous, accessible, a voice of reason, a giant of a man.
I am a better person because of you. Had I learned golf, I would have been even better.
Gail Martin Dennis
December 9, 2022
My prayers and condolences to the Kennedy family. May God comfort and surround you with his love during this difficult time.
YVONNE M STERLING
December 9, 2022
Much love and sympathy to you and family.
The Sterling family
Dr. Claiborne D Haughton Jr
December 8, 2022
Dearest Kennedy family, Linda and I pray that God's peace will guard your hearts and your minds at this difficult time. I´m grateful to God for Joe´s presence in my life´s story. I first met Joe 59 years ago during freshmen year at Dillard University, New Orleans, La. He was my classmate and "brother-by-another mother." Now, for me this is not just a cute rhyming term. It´s an expression of our brotherhood. For example, I was a baby sitter for his divine daughter, JoNell. To this very day, she still affectionally calls me "Uncle Claiborne." And I claim this title with honor. (Picture is of Joe and JoNell)
Joe and I graduated from Dillard with BA Degrees in biology in 1967. We then went to work for the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) as GS-5 Trainees in Indianapolis, Indiana. We moved up quickly and found our career calling as Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Specialists, reviewing EEO and affirmative action programs within DLA and at Department of Defense contractor facilities. In 2002, after a rewarding 35-year government career, Joe retired as Deputy Director of the Office of Federal Contracts Compliance Programs (OFCCP), Department of Labor, enforcing the EEO/affirmative action regulations applied to Government contractors. As the top career Senior Executive Service (SES) Official in OFCCP, Joe left behind a legacy of groundbreaking contributions, which helped thousands of women, people of color, people with disabilities, and disabled Vietnam Veterans receive jobs and promotions. His prestigious awards included the 1999 Dillard Founders´ Day Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award and the Department of Labor´s Distinguished Service Award.
Joe was a renaissance man of faith, public servant, civil rights advocate, educator, orator and trombone artist, but he cherished most his wonderful wife, Dorethea Taylor Kennedy and three wonderful children JoNell, Joe and Jon. Now, Joe had his ups and he had his downs. But through it all he learned to trust in God. Joe, I´m going to miss you my buddy but my love and respect for you will never end. Rest-in-heaven with God and the ancestors in perfect peace.
Dr. Claiborne D. Haughton, Jr.
Former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Equal Opportunity (SES-4 Retired)
Frances Mckinnely
December 7, 2022
Sending my love and deepest sympathy to you and the family.
Love,
Frances
Clark Gable Nabauns
December 6, 2022
The Donate Family sends love and heart felt condolences to the family.
Joan Garrett
December 6, 2022
Sending words of sympathy to the family from a friend of the family for over 50 years.
Rev. William and Francine Wilson
December 3, 2022
May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.
Rev. William & Francine Wilson
Deborah Colar Brown
December 3, 2022
May your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well lived.
Deborah Ann Colar Brown
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