Raymond S. Kennedy

Raymond S. "Ray" Kennedy, 94, of Dover, and a former resident of both Canton and New Philadelphia, died Monday, Sept. 5, 2011, in Park Village Health Care Center.

Born Dec. 26, 1916 in Canton, Ray was a son of the late Roy and Alma Willard Kennedy. He graduated from Canton McKinley High School in 1935, where he met the former Evelyn Harris and the two became sweethearts. In 1938, in order to save money, Ray and Evelyn ran away to Maryland and were married there on Feb. 1. The couple reared three children, and shared seventy-one years together before Evelyn's passing on May 2, 2009. Ray was employed by the Prudential Life & Casualty Insurance Co. for thirty-five years as an agent and manager, first in Canton, and later in New Philadelphia.

Ray was a Methodist, and a member of Canton Lodge No. 60, F. & A.M. As a youth he was active in Canton Chapter's DeMolay and served as Master. Also as a young man, Ray coached Mighty Mite youth baseball in Canton.

He was a devoted, father, grandfather and great-grandfather who greatly enjoyed his family. Ray and Evelyn liked to play golf, and traveled extensively throughout the United States. For a number of years the couple owned a second home in Phoenix, AZ, where they went to escape Ohio winters.

Ray will be sadly missed by his son, Alan (wife, Claudia) Kennedy of Phoenix; his two daughters, Diane (husband, Don) Schneck of North Canton, and Paula Plunk of Dover; six grandchildren, Melissa (husband, Kevin) Ashcraft, Marcus Plunk, Scott Kennedy, Denise (husband, Shawn) Fagan, Anna (husband, Ron) Minor and Marcia Minor; four great-grandchildren, Tori Fagan, Nash and Matthew Minor and Aiden Ashcraft; and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents and his beloved wife, Evelyn, Ray was preceded in death by his grandson, Clifford Minor; a special son-in-law and caregiver, Jerry Plunk; and by his two brothers, James and Paul Kennedy.

Family and friends are invited to call at the Toland-Herzig Funeral Home & Crematory in Dover on Friday, Sept. 9, 12 1:30 p.m. A Masonic service will be conducted Friday at 11:30 a.m. in the funeral home. Ray's funeral ceremony will be held at the end of the visitation Friday afternoon at 1:30, also in the funeral home; Pastor Bruce McLaughlin of the First United Methodist Church in Dover will officiate. Burial will be in Dover Burial Park. To sign an online guestbook and share a fond memory of Ray, please visit the Obituaries and Flowers link on the Toland-Herzig website.

Instead of flowers, the family suggests that contributions in Ray's memory be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312.