Kenneth M. Kennedy Jr., 88, of Prairie Village, Kan., died Monday, May 11, 2015. Visitation will be from 9-10 a.m., and funeral following at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 16, at Porter Funeral Home, 1835 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, KS 66102. Burial will be in Pleasanton, Kan., on Monday, May 18 at 10:30 a.m. Memorial contributions may be made to Grinter Chapel United Methodist Church, Kansas City, Kan., where he was a member for over 50 years.
Kenneth was born Feb. 15, 1927, to Myrl and Esther (Harmon) Kennedy in Kansas City, Mo. At age 2, he moved to the family farm outside Pleasanton, Linn County, Kan., homesteaded by his great-grandfather John Quincy Kennedy. He graduated from Pleasanton High School and Fort Scott Community College, after which he moved to Kansas City, Kan. In Kansas City, he drove a taxi, and worked for Riverview Bank before joining Santa Fe Railroad. He retired in 1990 as a railway clerk after 34 years of service. Kenney served in the Kansas National Guard. He was a member of Brotherhood of Railway Clerks #121.
Kenney joined the Oxford Fellowship group in the early 1950s, where he met his future wife, Reta N. (Boyd) Kennedy. They were married on Sept. 3, 1960. In 1961 they moved to the Turner neighborhood of KCK where they raised two children, and enjoyed gardening and traveling together for many years. Kenney was very considerate of those less fortunate, and collected thousands of aluminum cans, volunteered, and raised funds for Cross-Lines and Youthville.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Reta N. Kennedy; two children, Gayle K. Callahan (Mike), Prairie Village, and Warren B. Kennedy (Gisela), Bonner Springs, Kan.; sister, Wilma Stark (Dale), Wichita, Kan.; and three grandchildren, Connor Callahan, Cameron Kennedy and Brianne Kennedy.
Condolences may be expressed at www.porterfuneralhome.com. Arrangements: Porter Funeral Home & Crematory, 1835 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, KS, (913) 621-6400.
OBITUARIES
Jeffery Lynn Brown ~ 09-10-1958 to 10-22-2025
Linn County News Published November 5, 2025 Jeffery Lynn Brown, age 67, a resident of Fort Scott, Kan., passed away Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, at the Mercy Hospital in Pittsburg, Kan. He was born Sept. 10, 1958, in Fulton, Kan., the son of Derald Dean... [More]
Darlene Ann Sumners ~ 05-19-1935 to 10-21-2025
Linn County News Published Oct. 29, 2025 Darlene Ann Sumners, age 90, of Centerville, Kan., passed away Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. No services are scheduled. Memorial contributions are suggested to Centerville Community Church or Shriners Children's Hospital. ... [More]
Lillie Mae Jackson ~ 04-23-1928 to 10-22-2025
Linn County News Published November 5, 2025 Lillie Mae Jackson, age 97 of Pleasanton, Kan., passed away on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. She was born the daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Viola Mae Brant Wurtz on April 23, 1928 in Mound City, Kan. Lillie married... [More]
More Obituaries
- Monica Joy (Goebel) Mullins ~ 12-30-1965 to 10-20-2025
- Kelly Renee Moore ~ 08-02-1963 to 10-13-2025
- Norma Jeanne (Riley) Long ~ 08-21-1938 to 10-13-2025
- Geneva Darlene Jennings ~ 11-15-1939 to 10-12-2025
- Mary Margaret Wilson ~ 01-08-1930 to 10-13-2025
- Letha Spillman ~ 06-19-1929 to 10-02-2025
- Mary Alice Fagg ~ 07-30-1933 to 09-25-2025
- John T. Miles ~ 01-29-1960 to 05-01-2025
NEWS
Pleasanton Fire Chief speaks on ISO notification
Pleasanton Fire Chief Jeff Wisdom reported to the Pleasanton City Council on Monday evening that he had received an email last Friday indicating that the city is officially in regression. This means that the city’s Public Protection Classification (PPC) has worsened, leading... [More]
USD 362 board accepts roofing, telephone system bids
Prairie View Unified School District 362’s board of education awarded unanimously bids both for a roofing and a telephone system upgrade at its Oct. 21 monthly meeting. The roof is the first of a four-phase plan for replacement above the high school, this first one above... [More]
Pleasanton council passes motion, gives hiring power to police chief
During the Monday night meeting of the Pleasanton City Council, council member Aaron Portmann read a prepared statement regarding recent events and actions at the meetings held previously and then moved to have the city attorney draft an ordinance granting the power of appointment... [More]
More News
- Former Zoning Administrator explains KORA requests
- Pleasanton Council overrides mayor veto on firefighter appointments
- Snyder appointed Linn County Register of Deeds
- Blue Mound to apply for KDHE loan for sewer project
- Souza resigns county clerk post
- Farmers State Bank under new ownership
- Linn Valley council updated on water, lagoon projects
- Suit filed in Sunshine Meadows building permit case
SPORTS
Prairie View cross country qualifies two for State
The Prairie View cross country team traveled to Neodesha on Oct. 25 to compete in a 3A Regional to determine who makes the 3A State cross country meet. The Buffalos did well and the girls, as a team, placed fifth overall with a score of 115. To see the full article, check... [More]
Blu Jays’ Alvarez qualifies for State at Regionals
The Pleasanton cross country team brought their best runner in Dominic Alvarez to Central Heights on Oct. 25 to compete in a 1A Regional. The regional determines who makes the 1A State cross country meet and Alvarez qualified for the State meet by placing eighth at Regionals... [More]
Buffs grind on, record setting night sets scene to capture district title at Iola
Despite recent off-field adversity, Prairie View’s football team continues to grind on, as evidenced by their 52-20 Pioneer League runners-up and Class 3-A, District 2 championship efforts Friday night at Iola. Buffalo generational talent Parker Schwarz had a night for... [More]
More Sports
- Prairie View football stays on top of their district with big win over Girard
- Prairie View volleyball finishes season at Girard
- Jays lock in league runner up spot at Uniontown
- Jayhawk football routs Southeast Cherokee
- Pleasanton volleyball goes 2-2 in final week of the regular season
- Schneider makes State for Hawks in girls’ golf
- Wade and Britz advance to State for the Buffalos
- Blu-Jays convert takeaways into Homecoming win
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