Ronald "Ron" Kenney

Provided by Hayes Funeral Home

Ronald “Ron” Kenney

HITCHCOCK – Ron Kenney passed away from this life to Heaven on Wednesday evening, August 11, 2021 in Webster at the age of 91.

Ron was born August 1, 1930, to Joseph Hall Clark and Mary Elizabeth (Larmouth) Kenney in Durham, England, the youngest of 9 children. He was 9 years old when on September 3, 1939, the United Kingdom declared war on Germany. Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941 then the American soldiers came to England, Ron always said if it wasn’t for the American soldiers he would have died. He always thanked everyone he saw or met, all his life for their help!

At the age of 14, he was put on a train and sent 400 miles to go to work taking care of horses, training and even riding as a jockey in a few races. They arranged a family for him to stay with, which is why Dorean Atttewell grew up with him as brother and sister in England. (He was too small to work in the coal mines)!

In 1960, he decided to leave England and move to Ft. Worth, Texas. He even came with his mothers’ great voice for singing and used it, everywhere he went with great joy.

When he arrived in Ft. Worth, he found work breaking horses. He later moved to Hitchcock in 1961, where he began work training racehorses as well as riding as the jockey in several races. Plus he helped John W. Mecon build a race track in Hitchcock.

He met his first wife, Patsy Hepler Hamrick at a party in 1962, they were married on July 12, 1963. They had been married for 43 years when she passed away in 2006.

In 1966, Ron applied for and received his US citizenship, he then began working at the Wah Chang plant in Texas City, (called the Tin Smelter) then going to work for Amoco Oil refinery, after retiring from there in 1992, the next year he began working part-time for Hayes Funeral Home and became not only a friend but family to everyone who worked with him. He worked 27 years for them.

Ron met his 2nd wife Alice Stewart in 2010 at the Galveston County Fair and Rodeo and they were married in 2011, at his age of 80.

Ron was a former member of Queen of Peace Catholic Church and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, where he sang in the choir and taught CCD classes. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 10393 becoming a 4th degree Knight. He later began attending St. John’s Lutheran Church and currently College View Church in Texas City, where he still sang.

He had been a member of the Santa Fe Senior Citizens, the Friendship Club, Santa Fe Lions Club, Galveston Grandmother’s Club 277, Amoco Senior Retiree Club, Amoco Platinum Club, Santa Fe Historical Foundation and Hitchcock Historical Foundation.

He volunteered at the Galveston Grand Opera House, helped hand out food with the local food banks, made Rosaries to hand out to people and taught soccer in both Hitchcock and Santa Fe. Not to mention, he enjoyed dressing up to be Santa Clause, Easter Bunny or your favorite Leprechaun during the holidays, bringing smiles to both children and adults with help from his wife, Alice. He still found time to dance, fish and to be an avid bowler. He also loved all sports he could watch. He most of all loved singing and telling his life story to any person or club. That is why he wrote a book about his life and dedicated it to God and to the life he gave him to the everlasting life to come! Now he is there! His book was An Englishman In Texas.

He was preceded in death by his parents; 4 brothers, Joseph, Frank, William and Albert; 4 sisters, Elizabeth, Annie, Rose and Doris; his first-wife, Patsy Kenney; 2 step-daughters, Cathy Elliott and Brenda Jones Martin.

Survivors include his loving wife of 10 years, Alice Kenney; son, Joseph Kenney (Penelope); step-daughters, Teresa Graves (Edward), Betty Johnson (Kirk), Lisa Scott (Billy) and Candye Brandon (Eric); many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and a host of friends that considered him family!

Visitation with the family will be held from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., followed by a celebration of life at 4:00 p.m., Saturday, October 9, 2021, in the chapel of Hayes Funeral Home, 10412 Highway 6, (409) 925-3501, with Reverend Rosey Rosenquist officiating.

A graveside goodbye for Ron will be 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at Galveston Memorial Park Cemetery.

Memorials in the form of donations may be made in Ron’s name to the Hitchcock Library, 8005 Barry Avenue, Hitchcock, Texas 77563, Hitchcock Historical Society, 9306 Woodacres, Hitchcock, TX 77563 or the church of your choice.

Please come with your mask on.

Donations may be made to:

Hitchcock Library
8005 Barry Avenue, Hitchcock TX 77563

Hitchcock Historical Society
9306 Woodacres, Hitchcock TX 77563