With great sadness, Jack and I must tell you that our dear friend Phil Kenny died of a very aggressive form of prostate cancer on Wednesday morning. He leaves behind his broken-hearted wife, Carol, their two daughters and grandchildren.
We first knew Phil and Carol in the mid-1970s during Phil's posting to the COSL Staff. Those of you who also knew them then will remember the terrific parties at the home of this good-looking and fun young couple. In 1989 I showed up in the bunker some 80 feet below Northwood, England for a tour as Chief of Intelligence for the Major NATO Command there, CINCHAN, also dual-hatted as CINCEASTLANT, a subordinate of SACLANT. I nearly fainted when I walked into the OPS spaces and saw a bearded Phil smiling up at me from behind his desk. He was there as Staff Officer for STANAVFORLANT. We all were thrilled to be together again, and the good times picked up where they had left off in the '70s. Phil's ultimate tour was as CO of CFS Shelburne. After retirement, the Kennys ran a very classy bed & breakfast in La Have, NS, and for some time Phil also headed up the Chamber of Commerce there. Within the last couple of years they had moved to a condo in Mahone Bay, NS and were beginning to enjoy the pleasures of full retirement.
The Kennys' last vacation was with us here on Cape Cod in the fall of 2009. The fellow who was our boss in Northwood also happens to live here, and so we had a wonderful reunion and showed Phil and Carol many great sights, including Martha's Vineyard.
Finally, I have to say that Phil was one of the most decent people I ever met. He had an unfailing sense of right and wrong, and always chose right despite potentially unpleasant consequences for himself. This was especially true in the way he took care of his people. I also must say that the Kennys remained a couple deeply in love with each other over the entire span of their marriage. We already miss Phil terribly but take comfort that he is, without question, already in Heaven.
Phil will be remembered by many in SOSUS. COSL was blessed when it came to the quality and professionalism of Canadian exchange personnel. My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this dark time. Ed Smock
