STANLEY EUGENE KENNEDY

October 11, 1931 – July 5, 2024

Stanley (Stan) Eugene Kennedy died on July 5, 2024, surrounded by his family in Wilmette, IL. He was 92 years old. He is survived by his second wife Anne Barry Kennedy, his son Michael Charles Kennedy, his daughter Carole Ann Kennedy-Hennessy (Greg), his stepdaughter Holly Petrie Francis (Edward), his sisters Cleo Montgomery and Georgia Cross (Sam), his eleven grandchildren and great granddaughter, along with many nieces, nephews.  He was preceded in death by his first wife, Marilyn Jean Kennedy, his older sister Carole Lewis and his stepdaughter, Nancy Petrie.

The only son and second child of four, Stan was born on October 11, 1931, on the family farm in Myrna, Nebraska. His earliest memories of rural life in Nebraska included raising his beloved pet pig Judy and rising before dawn each day to do his chores, including milking the family cows. After moving with his family to Sydney, Nebraska, Stan entered high school, where he participated in multiple sports, including football, basketball, wrestling, and track and field. During that time, the local newspaper editor who happened to be the father of Stan's high school sweetheart, encouraged him to consider a career in city management – a then up and coming field.

With his career path decided, Stan enrolled at Nebraska Wesleyan University. During the Korean War he left college to serve in the Nebraska Air National Guard. After his honorable discharge, Sergeant Kennedy returned to college, received a bachelor's degree in political science, and began what would become a distinguished career in city and local government spanning more than 30 years.

Stan served first as an Administrative Assistant to the City Manager of Ottumwa Iowa and then as City Manager of Dalhart Texas and Alamogordo New Mexico. His growing reputation caught the attention of city leaders in the Chicago area and in 1964 he moved his family to the North Shore suburbs where he served as City Manager of Highland Park for 10 years and then as City Manager of Wilmette for 16 years. During this time, Stan received his Master of Public Administration degree with honors from Roosevelt University in Chicago and graduated from the Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government, State and Local Government.

Stan expanded his contribution to civic engagement through leadership roles with professional associations, including serving as Vice President and President of the International City/County Management Association, and Chairman of the Association's Foundation Board. He also served as President of both the Illinois and Chicago City/Country Management Associations and was a Small Cities Advisory Council Member of the National League of Cities Association in Washington, DC.

Stan also worked for seven years as an adjunct professor at Roosevelt University's Graduate School of Public Administration, and served on graduate school public administration advisory councils for Lake Forest College, Northwestern University, and the University of Illinois/Chicago.

In addition to his skills as a leader, community advocate, and educator, Stan was an outstanding mentor. Those who worked for him appreciated his warmth, humor, honesty, and appreciation for and belief in their abilities. Many of his staff members went on to become successful City or Village Managers elsewhere.

Stan retired from City Management in 1990 and began a second career in the private sector serving as the Executive Vice President of the Chicago Appraisal Institute, as a consultant for AT&T, Hill and Knowlton, Conlon and Dunn and the PAR Group in Chicago, and later managing the newly developed Conway Farms Golf Community in Lake Forest, Illinois.  He also served as an Advisory Council member for the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, and as a Trustee of the Financial Accounting Foundation Board in Norwalk, Connecticut. For the rest of his life, Stan continued to support his beloved village and its leadership and was often sought out for his advice and counsel. Those seeking his advice would find him early each morning surrounded by former colleagues, friends and community leaders holding court as the unofficial "Mayor" of the local Starbucks.

Endowed with the Irish gift of gab, Stan was a social and gregarious man with an impressive memory for dates, names and historical events. He and his second wife, Anne ("Chick"), entertained regularly and cultivated a large group of friends within their community and while traveling the world during their nearly 50 years of marriage. A generous and supportive father, Stan dearly loved his children, Michael, and Carole Ann, and was equally kind and giving to his stepdaughters Holly and Nancy.  He cherished his role as "Grandpa Stan" to his eleven grandchildren and made it a priority to attend and celebrate their achievements and successes as they grew up. Recently, he was delighted to meet his first great granddaughter.

Stan believed in the power of community to make a difference. He lived a life of unerring integrity, compassion, and honesty, cultivated lifelong friendships, and loved his extended family deeply. He will be missed by all.

A memorial service to celebrate Stan's life will be held on Friday, August 16, 2024, at 11 a.m. at Kenilworth Union Church, 211 Kenilworth Avenue, Kenilworth, IL 60043. A memorial luncheon immediately following the ceremony will take place at The Lakeview Center Gillson Park, 800 Gillson Park Drive, Wilmette, IL 60091.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the newly established "Stan Kennedy Scholarship for Future Local Government Leaders," 55 W. Stone Avenue, Lake Forest IL 60045. The scholarship will be run in partnership with the Illinois City Management Association and will provide financial assistance to graduate students pursuing a career in local government.

To sign his guest register, please visit www.elegycremation.com/obits.