Kevin Thomas Cagney

Kevin Thomas Cagney, 37, of Mesa, Arizona, passed away unexpectedly on May 30, 2021. Kevin was born to Andrea (Smith) and Thomas Cagney on October 18, 1983 in Hartford, Connecticut. Kevin and his parents moved to Arizona when he was three months old.

Kevin was predeceased by his grandparents Frederick and Alice Smith of Portland, Maine and Charlotte and Kenneth Cagney of Phoenix. He was also predeceased by his aunt, Nancy (Smith) Tufts of Portland, Maine and his uncle, James Cagney, of West Hartford, CT.

Kevin is survived by his parents, Andrea Smith of Mesa and Thomas Cagney of Tempe and his step-parents, David Donnelly and Judy Cagney. He is also survived by his cherished son, James Cagney, of Houston, Texas, with whom Kevin treasured every moment. Kevin will be missed every day by his sisters, Kelly Cagney of Chandler and her husband David Romero, and Katy Cagney of Mesa. He was adored by his “little buddy”, nephew Donovan Cagney Romero of Chandler. Kevin is also survived by his half-sister, Shannon Cagney Pizzi of Pembroke, MA, and his half-brother, Brian Cagney of Roxbury, MA. He was deeply loved by his fiancée, Becky McClure of Mesa. Kevin will be lovingly remembered by his “Maine family”, Aunt Joanne (Smith) LaPlante and her husband, Mark LaPlante of Portland, and his Aunt Cheryl (Smith) Lawson and her husband, Henry Lawson, of Falmouth. He will also be missed by his Aunt Patricia (Cagney) O’Dwyer of Mesa. Kevin was loved by his cousins Jennifer and Michael O’Dwyer of Mesa, Robert Underwood of Brooklyn, NY, Kristen Underwood of Portland, ME and Keith Doty of Jackson, NH. Kevin’s godparents, Edmund Smith Jr. of Bloomfield, CT and Maureen (Smith) Starr of Mt. Pleasant, SC, were also an important part of his life.

Kevin graduated from Horizon High School in Phoenix with the class of 2002. He continued his education at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute to become a Cordon Bleu chef.

Kevin loved being a chef on the big island of Hawaii. While living in Maine, Kevin was the Sous Chef at the historic Harraseeket Inn in Freeport and Executive Chef at restaurants in Rockland and Brunswick. Kevin was also a Customer Service Representative for Wayfair. When he moved back to Arizona, he continued to enjoy his career and friendships at Wayfair.

Kevin was a man of faith who found strength every day in God. He felt a special spiritual connection to St. Michael. Baptized into Catholicism as a child, Kevin most recently attended Cornerstone Christian Fellowship Church in Chandler.

Kevin’s bright smile and bear hugs were only overshadowed by his huge heart. Kevin was a man of the sea. He liked fishing so much that his friends and family nicknamed him “Mr. Fish”. Kevin was also very close to his “Aunt Joanne” and “Uncle Marker” and loved spending long summer days fishing off the deck of their Casco Bay condo in Maine. Kevin was a gamer. His “mates” in Australia, with whom he played over the past three years, wrote to his mother that, “Your son left an impact that reached the other side of the planet. That’s a strength of character so incredibly rare to find and we all feel his loss particularly hard”. Kevin loved to cook, creating gourmet meals for family and friends alike. He especially loved to prepare fish of any kind; Maine lobster and calamari were favorites. As a child Kevin enjoyed swimming, doing “mind bender” puzzles, building treehouses, and protecting (and annoying!) his sisters. Kevin was very proud of his Irish heritage and looked forward to attending his Dad’s annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration with his family. His other interests included talking about history with his Dad, music, golf, playing with his nephew, Donovan, and camping under the stars. He was a sensitive, kind and upbeat person who was always grateful for the help he received from others. He had a sharp memory and could quote numerous passages from his favorite book, Moby Dick. On Mother’s Day, Kevin gave his Mom a silver bracelet engraved with these words from a children’s book they used to read to each other, “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, As long as I’m living, My Mommy you’ll be”. Kevin: Your big heart lives on. We’ll “Love You Forever”.

Private family services will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please give a big hug to someone you love.