Pictured, is Bill Kennedy of Owego, at a previous Memorial Day ceremony. The last remaining Pearl Harbor survivor, Kennedy passed away on Feb. 26, 2018 at age 96. (File photo / JoAnn R. Walter)
Tioga County’s remaining Pearl Harbor survivor and long-time Owego resident, Charles William “Bill” Kennedy, passed away on Feb. 26, 2018 at the age of 96.
A life member of the V.F.W. and the American Legion, Kennedy regularly attended Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Pearl Harbor ceremonies in Owego, and was often transported in style by jeep during the Memorial Day parade.
A three-time return visitor to Pearl Harbor, doctors had advised Kennedy against attending the 75th anniversary due to health concerns at the time; he had attended the 1955 reunion, as well as the 50th and 70th anniversaries.
When asked once if he had brought home any memorabilia from Hawaii, Kennedy replied with his notable wit, “You’re not supposed to bring lava home because it is considered bad luck.”
During an interview at his home in 2016, Kennedy shared, “Living in a small town during the Depression, there was nothing going on and no real economy.”
Kennedy was born in 1921 in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, which is located about 100 miles west of Harrisburg. Kennedy said that enlisting was the right thing to do and a patriotic duty.
Pictured, is Bill Kennedy of Owego, at a previous ceremony at the V.F.W. (File photo / JoAnn R. Walter)
After graduating high school in 1939, he enlisted with the Army Air Corps in December that same year and completed Aviation Mechanics and Aircraft Instrumentation schools. He served for six years in Hawaii and stateside, and as an airplane and instrument mechanic and liaison pilot.
When presented with Hawaii, Panama or the Philippines, Kennedy chuckled when he told that part of the story, and again with his quick wit remarked, “Guess what I took?”
At the time, Hawaii sounded the most appealing to him. And, although the Pearl Harbor attack was a harrowing experience, Kennedy also said that he was forever grateful that he wasn’t part of the devastation in the Philippines.
Kennedy would lower and shake his head when the subject of lives lost at Pearl Harbor and the Philippines was mentioned. In turn, he came back with this comment when asked about surviving the Pearl Harbor attack, “I know my children are glad I came back, too.”
Pictured, is Bill Kennedy of Owego, at a previous Memorial Day ceremony in Owego. (File photo / JoAnn R. Walter)
Up until his passing, Kennedy vividly recalled the attack, where as a 20-year old, he was stationed at Hickam Field, which today is part of the Joint Base Pearl Harbor.
Asleep in his barracks when the exploding bombs first started just after 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, Kennedy hid behind a concrete transformer, and amidst the turmoil and destruction, managed to capture several incredible images with his Univex Rotary Shutter camera. One of his favorite photos was of himself, where he posed holding a spent anti-aircraft fuse that he had found.
Kennedy acquired his pilot’s license six months after discharge, worked odd jobs near his hometown, and then landed a pilot’s job with Piper Aircraft before relocating to the Owego area to start a career with IBM that spanned 32 years.
In Owego, Kennedy was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church and a vendor at the Elks Emporium for 26 years, and where he showed his collection of vintage and self-repaired music boxes. Active in Scouting and swimming instruction, too, Kennedy also served as an EMT with the Legion ambulance.
Pictured, is Bill Kennedy of Owego, accompanied by his stepson, Curtis Anthony, at a previous Memorial Day ceremony in Owego. (File photo / JoAnn R. Walter)
At his home in November last year, Kennedy shared memories of Tioga County when he first moved here, as well as discussed an area he had rediscovered, the Route 434 Cemetery. Going forward, he wanted to ensure that the cemetery would not be forgotten, and pointed out its significance as the final resting place of Revolutionary War veteran and early Owego settler, Reuben Holbrook. Today, the cemetery is under care by the Town of Owego.
Sharing a memory from his childhood, Kennedy once said, “As a young boy, I remember watching Civil War soldiers marching in a parade in my hometown.”
It was Kennedy’s hope that future generations would remember his generation, too.
Kennedy’s ashes will be buried at Pearl Harbor.
The family wishes to thank Lourdes Hospice for their care and compassion, and will announce plans for a memorial service at a later date.
Pictured, is a young Bill Kennedy holding a spent anti-aircraft fuse that he found after the Pearl Harbor attack. Provided photo.
His parents, Chalmers and Bessie Kennedy; his former wife, Grace Kennedy; brother, Richard Kennedy; sister, Louise Petters; son-in-law, Walter Johnson, and special friend, Rev. Donald Hostetter, predeceased Kennedy. He is survived by his patient and loving wife, Marilyn Kennedy; three children – Lynda Johnson, John Kennedy and Rebecca Wilsbach; four stepchildren – Henry, Arlene, Curtis and Amy Anthony.
Bill Kennedy wrote an essay about Memorial Day some years ago. It can be found at http://www.angelfire.com/tv/lemurinsuspense/page3.html. I enjoy it, others might, too.