William Kennedy Obituary

MOUNT VERNON, Ind. — Dr. William Russell "Bill" Kennedy, 51, passed away Saturday May 2, 2009, due to a boating accident; he was born July 1, 1957, the son of the late Russell William and Margaret Joan (Bremer) Kennedy, in Indianapolis.

Bill was a 1979 graduate of Wabash College where he earned his bachelor's and was a member of the Kappa-Sig Fraternity; he then attained his PhD in Analytical Chemistry in 1984 at Purdue University. In 1984 he started working for GE Plastics at the Mt. Vernon site where he held several leadership positions in technology; in 1993 he received a promotion to their Corp Office in Pittsfield, MA and in 1998 moved back to the Mt. Vernon site working for GE Plastics and eventually Sabic Innovative Plastics. Bill was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Mt. Vernon where he served as clerk of session, sang in the choir, and taught Sunday school. He served on the board of directors of the Posey County Thrift Shop and assisted with the Mt. Vernon Homeless Shelter. He enjoyed fishing and was an avid Purdue Boilermaker fan. Bill was the "unofficial Mayor and Gatekeeper" of his neighborhood in Bufkin.

He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Kim (Eaton) Kennedy of Mt. Vernon; his two sons, Andrew Kennedy and his wife, Laura, of Bedford, Ind., and Alex Kennedy and his fiance, Ashlie Erickson, of Indianapolis; his sister, Sarah Kennedy (Paul) Ose of Cincinnati, Ohio; his brother, Dr. Thomas Michael (Tamma) Kennedy of Madison, Ind.; aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and host of friends.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 6, 2009, at the First Presbyterian Church, 120 E. Sixth Street, Mt. Vernon, IN, with Rev. Monica Gould officiating. Burial will be in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Bufkin.

Visitation will be from 3 to 7 p.m. today, May 5, at Schneider Funeral Home, 512 Main Street, Mt. Vernon, IN.

Memorial contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church or Posey County Thrift Shop.

Published by Courier Press on May 5, 2009.