Please join us as we celebrate the incredible life of Kenneth "Kennie" MacKinnon on Saturday, July 1st, 2023 at 11:00 am at All Nations Church, 414 St Raphael Street, Sudbury, Ontario. Family and friends are invited to gather afterwards for a luncheon in the church foyer.
Original Obituary
January 4, 1923 – November 13, 2022
Our beloved Father, Kenneth (Kennie) passed away in his 100th year on Sunday, November 13, 2022, at the Maison McCulloch Hospice in Sudbury, Ontario with his loving family by his side. Although we are profoundly saddened, we feel tremendously blessed to have had him with us for all these years.
Kennie’s sharp wit and tremendous memory made for incredible storytelling. He could captivate a room with his tales of growing up in Inverness. His remarkable ability to recall things from days gone by never ceased to amaze us. He had an enthusiastic sense of humour and was always fun loving. He loved to play tricks on us and occasionally one would backfire on him, which we never let him live down.
Born to Nora (Ivey) and Hugh MacKinnon, Kennie grew up alongside his five siblings in Inverness, Cape Breton. In 1938, at the age of fifteen, Kennie came to Sudbury, where he attended Sudbury Technical School and worked for Weston’s Bakery, delivering bread by horse and buggy. Once he turned eighteen, he joined the Royal Canadian Navy, where he proudly served his country during World War II. Nearing the end of the war, when he stopped in Mulgrave, Nova Scotia, to wait for a train to take him back to his naval ship, he met (for the second time) the love of his life, our dear mother, Catherine Eleanor Mariah Murray. It was love at first site and they were married on March 29, 1945. Together they moved to Sudbury and forged a wonderful life together, where they raised their family and devoted themselves to serving God and His people. Kennie was one of the founding members of All Nations Church, where he served faithfully as an elder, mentor and friend to many for more than 70 years. He was a man of deep faith and unwavering devotion to his Lord and Saviour and lived his life serving Him faithfully. He had a lengthy career as a police officer, serving the towns of Creighton and Copper Cliff.
The MacKinnon Clan Kennie and Catherine created together is great in number and growing all the time. Predeceased by his beautiful wife Catherine in 2013, his family includes his loving children, Bruce (Susan), Nora (predeceased), Brenda (predeceased), Bev (Leo) Vienneau, Brian (Sonja), Belinda (David) Butler, Benita (Tom) Trainor, and Braden (Kim), cherished grandchildren Laurel (Curtis), Jeffrey (Tanya), Iaian, Bonnie (Vern), Benjamin (Samantha), Darrell (Mel), Jonathan (Jill), Jenna (Mike), Morgan (Adriana), Guy (Triina), Andrew (Corri), Kelly, Jillian (Scott), Angus (Christina), Kyle (Megan), Kaelti (Deyvi), Shelle (Phil), Sean (Judith), Ashley (Mark), Devin (predeceasd), Ethan (Chanel), Brock (Alanna), Sloan (Rob), Kennedy, adored great-grandchildren, Logan, Keeley, Maura, Kieran, Grey, Connor, Ryan, Alexandria, Hayley, Taylor, Brenna, Aiden (predeceased), Norah, Raya, Arianna, Sierra, Kaylie, Lauryn, Austin, Alexis, Cullen, Charlotte, Cooper, Joe, Caleb, Abigail, Rylan, Lilah, Mairi, Lily, Aria, Marco, Jacob, Vanessa, Knixen and Clara and treasured great-great grandchildren Gemma, Ryleigh, Valerie, Jonah, Emily and baby Thomas on the way.
Kennie is predeceased by his parents and siblings Anne Mae (Neil) MacKay, Hector (Liz), Albert (Mary), Roderick (Phil) and Frank (Geri).as well as Catherine’s family, Lavinia and David Murray, Terry and James Murray, and Juanita and Alister MacKinnon. He will be fondly remembered by his only surviving sister-in-law Geri MacKinnon, as well as many nieces, nephews, and their families.
We want to thank his devoted caregivers Brenda, Don, and Zora, for the exceptional care they gave our father. We will be forever grateful for them always being there for him and us. We would also like to thank Kelly from Veterans Affairs Canada for her kindness and support through the years. And we cannot say enough about the wonderful staff at the Maison McCulloch Hospice. They are truly angels walking around in scrubs. Thank you for treating our dear father with such respect, kindness, compassion, and dignity in his final days.
Dad, we shall so miss your presence in our family, the incredible stories and unwavering love you have for all of us. How you covered each one of us in prayer every day. But we are overjoyed you are finally reunited with your beloved Catherine. You have missed her so much and she has been waiting so long for your arrival. We can picture the two of you dancing across heaven together to your favourite Anne Murray song, “Can I have this dance.” Your incredible legacy of faith and unconditional love you poured into us will live on in our hearts forever...until we meet again in glory. Love you, Daddy.
In keeping with our dear father’s wishes, the family would appreciate donations to All Nations Church and the Maison McCulloch Hospice. A celebration of Kennie’s incredible life will take place next summer, when family and friends will gather to honour a wonderful man. We hope you will join us.
Well done good and faithful servant. Matthew 25:23
For donations or messages of condolence, www.lougheedfuneralhomes.com
Arrangements entrusted to the Lougheed Funeral Home.