Tuesday, March 11, 2025
I can't believe that my cousin, Jean Kenney , is gone. She was given the middle name Margaret after my mother and was very proud of the fact. One of my earliest recollections of Jean was when she was a little girl visiting my grandparents' house in Bidston on the outskirts of Birkenhead in the UK with her parents and older sister, Anne. She sat quietly on the couch clutching one of her mum's handbangs with a demure look on her face. I saw her on occasion before I eventually left the UK for Canada in 1968.
Surprisingly, Jean and her husband, Julian, eventually moved from Rothesay, New Brunswick to London, Ontairo, where my wife and I live. As a result, we were able to renew our acquaintance and connect with her family. My wife and I felt privileged to have been invted to the weddings of their two sons, Bent and Patrick, in New Brunswick.
Even when Jean and Julian moved to Mississauga I managed to unexpectedly bump into her at a store in London. What a chance encounter! One of my most treasured memories of Jean was when I visited the UK for the burial of her father's ashes in 2018(?). It was the first time I had seen Jean and her sisters, Anne and Cathy, together since they were young girls in Lowestoft. It was a very special time for me. I believe that it was the last time I saw Jean and such a shock to learn that she had died in January.
So with all these memories in mind, my wife, Sheila, and I offer our condolences to Julian and the Kenney family. I trust that Jean is free from any pain and suffering she may have encounterd during her illness and may she rest in peace.
Len Hughes,
London, Ontario
