Carl Jefferson Kennedy, Jr.

Carl Jefferson Kennedy, Jr.

November 21, 1928 – September 16, 2023

Born to Carl and Lillian Gaither Kennedy in Detroit Michigan on November 21, 1928.  The family moved to Glendale, CA when Carl was 16 and attended Glendale High School.  He graduated June, 1947.  He attended Glendale College and earned an Associate in Arts degree June, 1961.

Carl was appointed to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) as a Deputy Sheriff on October 7, 1957.  He worked patrol at Firestone Station.    He was promoted to Sargent and worked as Traffic Sargent for the newly opened Carson Station.  When the position opened he transferred to the Emergency Operations Bureau, Disaster Communications where he headed up Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES) for the county managing volunteer Amateur Radio Operators as well as Sargent for LA County Disaster Communications.  Carl retired from LASD on March 31, 1986.  He held an Amateur Radio License, General Class, (WB6TDE) and after retiring operated from his station at home.

While on patrol at Firestone Station Carl spotted a young lady in a red dress.  He arranged for an introduction and they started dating. He knew she was the one.  Carl married Susan Jane De Hoff on April 29, 1961.  They were married 62 years and you seldom saw one without the other.

Carl learned to play golf in Detroit where he would play with his Dad and later was on the high school golf team.  He played softball in a men’s league and prided himself to be able to hit the ball where the outfielders weren’t or over the fence.  He coached and managed Little League and Babe Ruth baseball for his boys.

He loved playing trombone in the Glendale High School marching band, and was the drum Major for the band in the Rose Parade.

Carl always wanted to be a pilot and on September 12, 1946 he started to fufil that dream at San Fernando Airport.  He soloed in an Aeronca Champ, NC84846, on October 31, 1946 from Rose Mead Airport at the age of 17 but soon ran out of money.  Life got in the way and it wasn’t until 1981 that he started lessons at Torrance, CA Airport (TOA) and earned his Private Pilot’s License in October.  He earned his Instrument rating December, 1983.  His last flight as PIC was July 2023.  He was a member of AOPA, Airplane Owners and Pilots Association since 1981 and Civil Air Patrol since 1986.

Carl learned to hunt with his Dad in the Detroit, Michigan area. It wasn’t until he retired and moved to Sacramento, CA that he got back into hunting pheasant.  He adopted “Bandit”, his first GSP, and hunted several hunt clubs in the area.  But his favorite was Hasting Island where he hunted Bandit, Misty, Piper, April and Chappy.  He belonged to the German Shorthaired Pointer Clubs of America, California, Northern Sacramento Valley and Reno.

Carl was an excellent marksman with a hand gun, rifle and shot gun and enjoyed skeet shooting with a weekly outing to Yolo Sportsman Gun Club.  He took two of his granddaughters to the club and introduced them to skeet. He was a Life Member of the National Rifle Association.

Carl loved those big old steam engines and when Sacramento had the Rail Fair he spent the entire day inspecting them and reading about them.  He also spent time at the Nevada State Railroad Museum. He acquired O scale and HO scale trains as a hobby. 

Carl was a member of the Civil Air Patrol for 37 years.  He joined the CA Wing, July 1986 and was Wing Mission Intelligence Officer until moving to Gardnerville, NV.  He joined NV Wing, Douglas County Composite Squadron and was appointed Communications Officer.  He held the rank of Captain and qualifications as Mission Scanner, Mission Observer, Arial Photographer and Mission Radio Operator. 

Carl had four children, Virginia Rone’ Kennedy, Robert David Kennedy (Pamela), Kathleen Jo Kennedy Salcedo and Richard Scott Kennedy (deceased).  He had five grandchildren, Robert David Kennedy, Jr. (Erica), Andrea Dee Kennedy Schmidt (Adrian), Anthony Ray Kennedy (Crystal), Jenna Rone’ Salcedo Utter (Timothy), and Dr. Mallory Cathryn Salcedo Delaney (Joseph).  He had seven great grandchildren, Izabella Jean Kennedy, Timothy James Utter, Emily Rone’ Utter, Tyler Scott Utter, Evelyn Melissa Utter, Benjamin Lyle Delaney, Bobbi Rose Delaney.  May, 2023 Carl was thrilled to witness the graduation of Timothy James from Rancho Cucamonga High School on his eighteenth birthday.  Carl bragged “how many get to see their great grandson graduate from high school.”

He was a member of St. Gall Catholic Church and a Eucharist Minister there.  His Memorial will be on Monday, October 16, 2023 at 11:30 AM at St Gall Catholic Church, Gardnerville, NV.

In Lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Civil Air Patrol, Douglas County Composite Squadron to be used for Cadet Flight training for glider and powered airplane, or to St Gall Catholic Church to be used for new pews with kneelers.