Harold James Kennedy

KENNEDY, Harold James, 98, died peacefully at his home in Sterling Heights, MI, in the early morning of November 17, 2019. He was born on his family's farm just north of Merrill, MI to mother Johanna (Riley) on January 6, 1921, and was duly nicknamed "Gus" by a favorite uncle. When he was five, his mother became quite ill so the family moved in 1927 to Saginaw, MI to be closer to health services. After his mother's death in late 1928, his father William remarried to Louella (Winterstein) in August, 1931. They raised the family, including Gus' older brother Robert (b. 1919) and younger sister Helen (b. 1926), in Louella's childhood home on Court Street in Saginaw. Gus and siblings attended Ss. Peter & Paul School nearby from first grade through high school. After graduating in June, 1939, but unable to afford the $100 tuition for Michigan Technical College, Gus began line work with Michigan Bell Telephone and Telegraph in 1940. Called to war in August, 1944, he served with honors in the Pacific Signal Corps where he rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant. After being honorably discharged just before Christmas, 1945, Gus resumed his lifelong employment with Michigan Bell, taking an early retirement in 1983 after 43 years. Gus' long-distance courtship of his sweetheart, Jean Lucas, from Youngstown, OH, began when they met through his parents' next-door neighbors in Saginaw. Gus and Jean married on June 26, 1948 - a union that continued lovingly and happily until death. The family orginally settled in Saginaw, where they bore three sons, Michael (Ellen Jane), William (Jeanne) and Richard (Deborah). The family moved to Royal Oak, MI in late 1955 coincident with Gus's substantial job promotion in the Engineering Department. There, Gus and Jean bore two more: girls Ann Niebrzydowski (Leon) and Susan Hlavaty(Raymond), and lovingly raised all five to adulthood. Gus and Jean moved to Sterling Heights, MI, in 1983, where they reveled in the births and attentions of 12 grandchildren, and, to date, nine great-grandchildren. Unable to continue living in their home, Gus and Jean finally settled at Waltonwood-Lakeside Assisted Living in Sterling Heights, MI in early 2014. Harold was a faithful husband, caring father and doting grandfather. Our prayers go with you, Gus. Rest in peace. Visitation Wednesday 3-8pm with a 7:30pm Scripture service at Wujek-Calcaterra & Sons, Inc., 36900 Schoenherr at Metro Parkway (16 Mile). Instate Thursday 9am until time of 9:30am Mass at St. Blase Catholic Church, 12115 15 Mile Rd. (E. of Dodge Park), Sterling Hts. Interment, White Chapel Cemetery, Troy. In Lieu of Flowers,memorial contributions to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, The Serra Club or Alzheimer's Association are appreciated. Please share memories with the family at their "On-Line Guestbook" at WujekCalcaterra.com

Harold James Kennedy

January 7, 1921 - November 17, 2019