Ronald Lewis Kennedy

Ron was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. Ron was a talented pharmacist and entrepreneur. He took great pride in having built his small business into Colorado’s first pharmacy which provided standardized pharmaceutical care to nursing homes and assisted living centers. He also enjoyed his volunteer work in the office of Colorado State Senator John Andrews.

The biggest source of joy in Ron’s life was spending time with his bride of 55 years and their family, including watching his kids and grandkids in any sport or activity they were involved in. He could be found in the bleachers and on the sidelines, no matter the weather or distance from home. Ron and Karen often planned vacations around the grandkids and their travel teams, accompanying them to countless out of state tournaments. An extra special memory for him was watching Tim coach and his grandson play baseball in Cooperstown Dreams Park in New York. When on unrelated vacations, Ron would sometimes see a baseball, soccer or football game in a park as they were driving and take Karen to sit and watch kids they didn’t know play sports in another state because he just loved it that much. Ron also enjoyed volunteering at school with his grandkids when he could. One year, Ron and Tara teamed up to coach his grandson’s Lego League team which the kids named “The Fighting Stinging Crystal Narwhals.” He left that experience with a lot of laughter and a renewed sense of respect for teachers everywhere. Ron was very active in many activities at Our Father Lutheran Church and valued the many relationships he and Karen built there.

Ron was an avid golfer who got his first hole-in-one on September 23, 2021 during a round with his golfing buddies who celebrated him by memorializing the golf ball and framing it for him to display. He loved playing in the Bob Hayes Memorial Golf tournament every year for the past 20 plus years with Tim, Chris and Bob Dallas. Ron recently fell in love with pickleball. He was passionate about cheering on all of the University of Colorado Buffaloes sports teams along with the Broncos, Avalanche, Rockies, Rapids and Nuggets.

While Ron never played an instrument, his love of music helped him build connections and get through difficult times. He liked to laugh about being kicked out of the school choir in 8th grade but it never stopped him from singing like he was a lead singer at home, in the car or at concerts. Some of Ron's favorite bands included: Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Beatles, Roy Orbison, Neil Diamond and The Eagles. Karen and the kids successfully converted him to a country music fan and over the years he enjoyed seeing live shows by Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney.

Ron and Karen loved to travel, with Hawaii being a repeated favorite. They took the whole family on a Disney cruise to celebrate their 50th anniversary and it was a magical time for everyone. Ron and Karen especially enjoyed taking their six grandchildren on a special trip in pairs of two so that they’d all have a personalized Colorado history tour before studying those places and events in school. Make-A-Wish is an organization that was very dear to Ron’s heart. He was known to stop families wearing Make-A-Wish gear when he saw them on vacation to let them know how special they were and typically gave them some extra spending money for treats on him. When drawing names for Christmas gifts, all Ron ever wanted was for whomever drew his name to make a donation in his name to Make-A-Wish.

Ron’s faith was the foundation of his life and he never hesitated to share his conviction in the gospel and the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus. Prayer was an important, daily part of his life and his tremendous Christian faith leaves a legacy behind.

When Ron became ill, listening to his favorite hymns became part of his daily ritual and provided him with a measure of peace and comfort.

Ron will be dearly missed by his wife Karen, son Tim (Jennifer), daughter Tara (Chris), grandchildren Mitchell (Tara), Ryan (Tim), Brandon (Tim), Georgia (Tara), Mason (Tara), Matthew (Tim), sister Linda (John) and nieces/nephew Kim, Summer & Gregg. Ron was preceded in death by his father Walter and his mother Eileen.

Services will be held on Friday, December 17, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. at Our Father Lutheran Church. 6335 S. Holly St. Centennial, CO 80121

Donations may be made in Ron’s memory to Make-A-Wish Colorado.