Richard Edward Kenney

Richard grew up and attended schools in Minneapolis, MN. He attendedWest High School and then a trade school where he learned welding. AfterPearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, he went to Seattle, WA to work in theshipyards at Bremerton. He decided he wanted to enlist in the Navy so hereturned to Minneapolis and enlisted in the Navy on September 30, 1942.Dick received his boot training at the Naval Training Station in GreatLakes, IL. In June 1943 he was stationed at USMATB Solomons, MD aboardUSS LST 209. Shortly after they left for the South Pacific Theater andhe served aboard USS LST 124 until his discharge December 1, 1945. LST124 was one of the first LSTs on Saipan shores in the Saipan Invasion.They were part of the flotilla that was severly damaged in Hawaii beforethe Saipan Invasion. In the book picturing the history of the ROYALHAWAIIAN HOTEL, there is a picture of Dick boxing on the lawn of thehotel. After their ship had gone through several invasions andhurricanes and was no longer seaworthy enough for invasions, they wereassigned to ferrying natives back to their islands. Some of the portsthey visited were Boro Boro, Tinian, New Caledonia, New Zealand andHonolulu. Dick brought home many carved wood items from these islands.Dick was discharged as Motor Mach. Mate 2nd Class.
After his marriage to Helen Arline Meland on December 29, 1945, theymoved to Minneapolis and Dick received an apprenticeship in thebody/fender trade, at Boyer-Gilfillan Ford Co., Minneapolis. In January1948, became a partner with Donald Meland and Gordon Olson in theSelf-Service Laundry, Bemidji. Dick worked at a body shop during the dayand at the laundry in the evening. One winter in Bemidji was enough!!After the laundry was sold, he packed his tools in his 1942 Chevroletcoupe and left for California, on July 4, 1948. Glen Koenig, with whomhe had worked in Bemidji, went with Dick. They scouted jobs in SanFrancisco and Los Angeles, settling on San Francisco as the betteropportunity. Glen's sister also lived in Marin County, across the Bayfrom San Francisco. After working in several shops as a body man andlater manager, Dick opened his own shop in Mill Valley and later movedthe shop to Sausalito. He sold the shop in September 1975. He andArline traveled 5,000 miles by car to the North Dakota, Minnesota,Florida visiting friends and relatives along the way. By January 1976,he was anxious to get back to work so decided to open an auto repair shopin Grass Valley. On April 10th, property was purchased and in June theshop was opened. Dick, Jim and Russ operated the body shop and Michaelwas in charge of the mechanical shop. Arline was in charge of the officeand bookkeeping. For twelve years the family worked together and built asuccessful business, in spite of losing Jim to cancer in 1980. Dickretired in 1987 because of his health and the shop was sold in July of1988. In 1989 Dick and Arline drove 8,000 miles visiting National parks,friends and relatives.
The Kenney's first home was a one room apartment at 1900 Portland AvenueSouth, Minneapolis, where the kitchen was a 3 burner gas plate [in acloset], an ice box that held 25 pounds of ice, and the bathroom wasshared with several other families in the made over fourplex. They wereable to move to a two room apartment in the same building with arefrigerator, stove, and kitchen sink when Jim was born [and werethrilled to be able to have it.] The few months they lived in Bemidjiwere spent in a home that was impossible to heat, and in the parsonage ofthe Lutheran church where they cared for the 9 year old daughter of thepastor while he and his wife traveled to Norway. After Dick left forCalifornia, Jim and Arline lived with her parents until Dick could find ahome to rent in California. He finally was able to rent a small cottagein San Anselmo. When Michael was 2 months old, the family moved to ahome at 37 Willow Avenue, Fairfax. In September 1953, they moved totheir own GI home at 350 Karen Way, Tiburon where they lived until 1976.
The boys and their friends were able to enjoy hiking and exploring indianmounds in the hills, the archery range they built on the hill behind thehouse, and the swimming pool that was built in 1963. Summers were spentcamping at Bear Creek, Napa Valley Ranch, Lake Wildwood, and enjoyingour own back yard. In 1976 the Kenney family moved to Lake Wildwood inPenn Valley and built their new home on the Deer Creek Inlet of LakeWildwood.
Dick was active in Trinity Lutheran, Shepherd of the Hills and PeaceLutheran churches. He received the 20 YEAR AWARD from Boys Scouts ofAmerica for his dedicated involvement. He was Commander of Frank GallinoPost 130, The American Legion, Grass Valley, President of the PastCommander's Club, member of the 40 and 8 Honor Society of The AmericanLegion, and was Executive Committee member in both District 6 andDistrict 31. He was active in the Cousin Jacks and Penn ValleyHi-Graders Lions Clubs.
Hobbies: gardening, fishing, hunting, coins, guns, archery, AmericanLegion, sons and grandchildren.
llnesses: Heart attack in 1971, 1973, triple bypass March 3, 1980,malignant malinoma removed from his back September 10, 1980, cirrhosis ofliver the result of hepatitis in blood received during openheart surgery.
The memorial service for Dick was held at Peace Lutheran Church, GrassValley on December 29, 1945. Pastor Richard Johnson officiated. ChaplainPeter Sodja officiated for the American Legion and presented the AmericanFlag. The Rifle Squad of Post 130 gave the 21 gun salute and Taps wereplayed by Guy, a Nevada Union High School student. The church was filledto overflowing with friends and family. Dick was interred at GreenwoodMememorial Cemetery, Grass Valley, next to son James. A nursingscholarship was established in his name by the 40 and 8 Honor Society.