Boylston - Owen W. Kennedy Jr. "Bill" 86, died at Knollwood Nursing Center, Worcester, on Monday, May 10, 2010. Until he and his wife, Flora, moved to Briarwood Continuing Care Retirement Community in Worcester in 2009, Owen was a lifelong resident of Boylston and Vale Perkins, QC. Canada.
Owen was born in Worcester to Madelene (Bell) and Owen W. Kennedy Sr. He lived in Boylston until the Navy assigned him to a radar maintenance group in Washington, DC during the war. He received his BS degree in Electrical Engineering from WPI in 1945. He married Nancy Inman, of Worcester, in July of 1945. After his discharge from the Navy in 1946, he returned to Boylston and to WPI as a graduate assistant while earning his master’s degree. He joined the Electrical Engineering faculty at WPI in 1948. Subsequently, he attended MIT and earned the Professional Degree of Electrical Engineering in 1959. He retired in 1987 as a Professor of Electrical Engineering and the Dean of Academic Computing. He and Nan spent summers on Lake Memphremagog at their cottage in Vale Perkins, and traveled to places they’d always wanted to go until her death in 1992.
Owen was active in the Boylston community. He served on the Finance Committee and was on the School Committee during the period when Berlin and Boylston regionalized and built Tahanto Regional High School. He enjoyed the Boylston Bridge Club and the Boylston Couples Club.
He married Flora (Hakala) Adams in December 1994, and enjoyed having his family enlarged by Flora’s family. Owen and Flora took pleasure in traveling extensively, and in spending time at the lake.
Owen was predeceased by his first wife of 46 years, Nancy (Inman) Kennedy. He is survived by his wife, Flora, of Worcester, and children, Linda and her husband David Norton; Peter and his wife Denise; grandchildren Gregory and Katherine (Krazmien) Norton; Douglas Norton; Mara (Kennedy) and Matthew Montante; Rachel (Kennedy) and Michael Liebman; stepchildren Georgiana (Adams) and Richard Zepp and their children Jennifer, Dayna and Kate; Dana and Laurie Adams and their children Matthew, Nicole and William; Kenneth and Arlene Adams and their son James. He leaves 11 great grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, Alan, and his wife Janice, of Lacey, Washington.
His family would especially like to thank the staff of the Bayberry Lane Unit of Knollwood Nursing Center for their caring support.
A memorial service will be held at Nordgren Memorial Chapel at 11:00 AM, Saturday, May 15, 2010. Burial will be at the convenience of the family in Pine Grove Cemetery. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to the Boylston Public Library Foundation, PO Box 102, Boylston, MA. 01505. To leave an on-line condolence message, please click link below.