FREEPORT — William P. Kennedy, 88, of Freeport, died peacefully March 28.

He was born Jan. 28, 1925, in Scranton, Pa., to William Kennedy and Esther Roche Kennedy. 

He achieved a bachelor’s degree in navigation from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y., a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Scranton, and an Bachelor of Laws from New York Law School, where he was the editor of the Law Review. He was also a Merchant Marine combat veteran in World War II.

From 1956-1961 Kennedy was a staff attorney for the Standard Accident Insurance Company in New York City, and attorney of record for Reliance Insurance Company in New York City from 1961-1967. In 1967 he established his own firm with colleague Tom Patterson in the financial district of New York City, where he successfully practiced law until he retired in 1994.

He married Wilma Kelly in July 1962. They moved to Westfield, N.J., and lived in that area until relocating to Cumberland in 2001, eventually moving to Freeport. This move to Maine allowed Kennedy to spend quality time with his family in the last years of his life.

A humble Catholic who was devoted to Christ, he was very successful in his life’s endeavors. He loved sports, and was a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox and the New York Giants. But what he valued most of all was his family. He is survived by his wife, Wilma, with whom he celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary this past summer. Additional survivors include his son, Paul, and Paul’s wife, Shenaugh Tripp Kennedy, his daughter, Karen Kennedy, and his four beloved grandchildren, Grace and Catharine Haynes, and Ella and Cormac Kennedy, all of Portland.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Jude’s Catholic Church in Freeport. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery in Yarmouth at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Catholic Charities Maine, P.O. Box 10660, Portland, ME 04104-6060.

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