D
ennis Kennedy passed away
at the age of 77 after a valiant
battle with brain cancer. The
former Morgan Hill mayor,
community leader and volunteer spent his
last few months in the company of close
friends and family at home. This article is
a humble remembrance of a man whose
vision, optimism, compassion and love of
life had a tremendous impact on many. He
will be greatly missed.
Matthew Kennedy
Dennis
Kennedy
In Remembrance
July 19, 1938 – March 28, 2016
Written By Robin Shepherd
86
was helping people, lending his support to
programs for at-risk youth, day laborers,
senior citizens, and the homeless.”
Mario Banuelos
“I have great pride in my dad’s achieve-
ments including his military service in the
Army. At his funeral service at St. Catherine
Church, a tribute by the Morgan Hill Police
Color Guard and Army Veterans included
flag-folding and a trumpeter playing
“Taps.” It was very moving and made
me cry. During the service, Father Gene
O’Donnell (Pastor, St. Catherine) recalled
how Dad was humble and thoughtful. A
man of great moral values. The eulogies
and memorable life moments shared by his
friends were beautiful.”
“A life lesson I learned from Dad is to
treat people with respect and dignity. He
had a way of ignoring the negative and
seeing the positive in people. I used to
think Dad saw the world through rose-
colored glasses, but I came to realize that
he was an optimist who knew the right way
to live. When I got overwhelmed with the
world’s problems he’d say, ‘Better to light a
candle than to curse the darkness. Choose
your battles, pick one way to serve.’”
Matt said his father’s concerns as a
community leader were wide-ranging
and he garnered local support for
major improvements to the downtown
business district, community cultural and
recreational facilities, city infrastructure,
affordable housing, water management, and
highway safety along the 101/85 corridor.
He was also an advocate for education,
healthcare, and cultural awareness.
“Dad made time for other things,
like singing in the church choir at St.
Catherine’s or waterskiing with friends on
Anderson Lake. But what he loved most
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
JULY / AUGUST 2016
“Dennis left us as he lived, serving the
public. Even as he battled the side effects of
his cancer treatment, he continued to work
tirelessly to fulfill his duties at the Santa
Clara Valley Water District. If there was any
consolation to his decision to step down
from service, it was the massive outpouring
of well wishes from the community. Dennis
was deeply moved by that.”
“I remember volunteering at a charity
event back in the early 1990s. After an
unpleasant encounter with a rather rude
and self-important guest, I met Dennis and
had an altogether different and positive
experience. I introduced myself, knowing
he was the Mayor of Morgan Hill. From
our initial conversation, it was clear to me
that Dennis genuinely cared about people,
about their hopes, their dreams, their lives.
I witnessed this same quality in Dennis on
many occasions. Like the time we shared
a taxi cab on the way to an event with
some friends, and Dennis chose to sit in
the front with the cab driver. During the
ride, Dennis asked the driver about his life
story; the country he had immigrated from,
his profession back home, his wife and
children, and so on. The taxi driver had no
idea he was talking with a mayor, because
Dennis never mentioned it. It wasn’t
important. Dennis wanted to get to know
him, the same way he took the time to get
to know me, a volunteer at a charitable
event, years ago. And we remained friends
over the years.”
“Thinking about Dennis’s character
reminds me of a quote from Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. ‘An individual has not
started living until he can rise above the
narrow confines of his individualistic
concerns to the broader concerns of all
humanity.’ Dennis was a man who rose
above. He had a way of connecting people,
communities and even countries. His
humility and genuine concern for people
continues to inspire those of us who knew
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