James F. Kennedy, 97, of Dartmouth passed away Friday February 21, 2014 at Sacred Heart Home. He was the husband of the late Edith M. (McNulty) Kennedy.
Born in New Bedford, the son of the late Charles F. and Ellen T. (McBride) Kennedy, he lived in Dartmouth for most of his life.
He was a communicant of St. Mary's Church in South Dartmouth.
Mr. Kennedy was formerly employed by the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket Steamship Authority as a maintenance mechanic until his retirement in 1978.
During World War II, he served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps, having been stationed in Morocco and Tunisia, and participated in the Battle of Sicily and the Mediterranean Anti-Submarine Campaign. He was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Ribbon with two battle stars, the American Theater Campaign Ribbon, and the Presidential Unit Citation.
He was a graduate of Bristol County Agricultural High School.
A dedicated sportsman and environmentalist, Mr. Kennedy was a charter member of the Paskamansett Beagle Club, an honorary life member of the High Hill Fox and Coon Club, and a member of Bristol County League of Sportsmen. He had served as a delegate to the Massachusetts League of Sportsmen, was a former recipient of the Bristol County League "Sportsman of the Year" Award, and was a longtime field judge of The Brunswick and Mass. State Foxhound Field Trials. In 1993, using his great knowledge of this area's woods, he led rescue personnel in their successful search for three young brothers who were lost overnight in the Acushnet Cedar Swamp. In 2006, the Sportsman Access at the Dartmoor Farms Wildlife Management Area in Dartmouth was dedicated in his honor. In August 2013, he was recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for his thirty years service as a volunteer with the Massachusetts Acid Rain Monitoring Project.
Many years ago, he was a volunteer firefighter in East Bridgewater. He was also a member of Teamsters Union Local 59.
He is survived by six children, John T. Kennedy and his wife Karen of Wareham, Mary J. Kennedy, Anne M. Murphy and her husband Robert, and Charles F. Kennedy and his wife Adriana, all of New Bedford, Kathleen T. Saunders and her husband Richard, and Christopher M. Kennedy, all of Dartmouth; eleven grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; three nieces and a nephew.
He was the father of the late James J. and Joseph Patrick Kennedy and the brother of the late Abbie, Daniel, George, and Charles Kennedy.
His Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday at 11 AM at St. Mary's Church, South Dartmouth. Burial with military honors will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery. Visiting hours will be on Monday from 4-7 PM at the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Sacred Heart Home, 359 Summer St., New Bedford, MA 02740 or Catholic Social Services (for Sister Rose House), 1600 Bay St., P.O. Box M South Station, Fall River, MA 02724 For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.