William L. "Larry" Kennedy

William L. "Larry" Kennedy

Cedar Rapids

William L. “Larry” Kennedy of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, died on Aug. 2, 2022, after a brief illness. He was 88. Larry will be remembered by his family and his many friends and colleagues as a fair, generous man, and a good soul.

Larry was born on Dec. 7, 1933, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to William E. “Cyc” and Evelyn M. (Larson) Kennedy. He was the older of two children in the family. His brother, Charles, preceded him death in 2004. Larry spent his first fourteen years in Newell, Iowa. Growing up in rural Iowa during the Depression gave him a taste of farming and small town living combined, which taught him that hard work makes for a stable base upon which to build a life. Larry was deeply involved in Scouting. He received his Eagle Scout award in 1947 and was involved in Boy Scout leadership for many years. In 1951, he graduated from Storm Lake High School, where he lettered in four sports, was a member of the National Honor Society and was student body president as a senior. Larry attended the University of South Dakota on a basketball scholarship and also lettered in football and track. He was a member of the Army ROTC, receiving his commission in 1955, which was followed by two years of service in the Army Reserve. Larry was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and graduated in 1955 with a B.A./B.S. in Business.

In 1953, Larry met the love his life, Patricia “Pat” Ellis of Carroll, Iowa. The two were married on Aug. 13, 1954, in Carroll, and were married for 58 years until Patricia’s passing in 2012. They lived briefly in Storm Lake, where Larry would begin a 40-year career in the insurance business. Larry and Pat moved to Early, Iowa, in in 1956. During their early years, Larry and Pat would have four children: Steven, Scott, Spencer and Katherine. In 1965, the family moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In 1969, Larry and Pat’s second daughter, Karen, was born. Over the decades in Cedar Rapids Larry worked with the Bezanson-Whitehead-Hoblitzelle and Bennett-Naber-Kennedy insurance agencies. He retired from the West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. as a regional marketing and sales representative in 1996. In retirement Larry joined with Pat and daughter Katherine to form Rainbow Visions, an educational group that taught a message of mind-body-spirit integration and peace.

Larry was a proud and active member of the Thursday Noon Optimists and the Unity Center of Cedar Rapids. In recent times Larry was a dedicated English language tutor at the Catherine McCauley Center.

Larry is survived by his five children, Steven Kennedy (Debra) of Aurora, Colo., Scott Kennedy (Kathleen Henry) of Schaumburg, Ill., Spencer Kennedy (Jaye) of Hiawatha, Iowa, Katherine Kennedy of LaGrange, Ill., and Karen Kennedy Wilson (Scott) of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Larry is also survived by nine grandchildren, Andrea Sledz (Walter) of LaGrange, Ill., Jill Kennedy (Kimberly Belmonte) of Tulsa, Okla., Alex Trickel (Matt) of Los Angeles, Calif., Mackinze Kennedy (Dan Nagawiecki) of Marion, Iowa, Keenan Wilson (Theresa) of Cedar Rapids, Bailey Bates (Derek) of Norwood Young America, Minn., Kennedy Wilson of Rochester, Minn., Noah Wilson of Cedar Rapids and Michael Kennedy of Schaumburg, Ill.; and four great-grandchildren, Carter Sledz, Auri and Sylvia Trickel, and Eloise Bates.

A celebration of Larry’s life will be held on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022, at the Unity Center, 3791 Blairs Ferry Rd., NE. There will be a reception for family and friends at

9 a.m. followed by a service of celebration at 10 a.m. You can call Unity Center at (319) 393-5422 if you have questions. The celebration of life service will be livestreamed via the “Unity Center of Cedar Rapids–Youtube” channel. Memorial gifts may be made to: Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center at 120 E. Boyson Rd., Hiawatha, IA 52233; or online at www.prairiewoods.org/donate/. Please share a memory of Larry at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.