Edward Kennard

Our beloved father, grandfather, great grandfather, and friend joined his deceased loved ones in Heaven on December 14th, 2009.

Dad was born in Anderson, Texas September 22, 1919. He is survived by his daughter Katie Kennard Femino and her husband, Dr. Joseph A. Femino of Head-of-the-Harbor, New York; his second daughter, Suzan Kennard Tidwell and her husband James Tidwell of Houston; and his son, Edward C. Kennard, Jr and his wife, Vanessa Nassopoulos Kennard of Houston. He is also survived by his nine grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren, as well as numerous cousins.

Our father graduated from the University of Texas where he studied petroleum engineering. Upon graduation, he married Elaine Francis Sasser of Navasota, Texas, on October 12, 1940. Shortly thereafter he accepted a job as the only school teacher at a one-room school house in Carlos, Texas, where his teaching career was short lived. After he was discharged from the Army at the conclusion of World War II he embarked on his long career with General Motors. He was first hired by the Buick Motor Division as an assistant parts warehouse manager. He rose quickly through the division, ultimately being named the general sales manager of Buick at the age of only 38. Following Buick, Dad was general sales manager of Pontiac and Chevrolet as well as director of marketing for General Motors. His last position was as a vice president of General Motors and general manager of the Cadillac Motor Division until his retirement in 1982. Under his leadership models such as the Seville and the Alante were successfully introduced and sustained, and the Cadillac Division enjoyed the highest sales in its history.

Dad was very charismatic and had many accomplishments. Among tenures, he served as chairman of the Greater Detroit Visitors and Convention Bureau, where he was instrumental in getting the National Republican Convention to the Motor City for Ronald Reagan's second run for President. He served as president of the Bloomfield Hills Country Club. He was vice-chairman of the Oakland Hospital in Dearborn, Michigan. He served on several boards including the Leelanau Schools, the International Brangus Association, the Texas Cattlemen Association, and the Bank of Navasota, now part of Prosperity Bank. Additionally, he was an advisor to Notre Dame University. Of his many memberships, he was most proud of, being a member of Augusta National Golf Club and serving on the transportation committee during the annual Masters Golf Tournament, as well as his membership in Club Limited, an international hunting and fishing club in which he had many friends. He was also a 33 1/3 Mason and a Shriner.

We are very proud of him for all these accomplishments but most of all for being a loving husband, a great father and, as many who knew him attested, for being "the nicest man I ever met".

Our family wishes to thank his many caregivers for their tireless efforts in his final years,
as well as his primary care physician Dr. C. H. Prihoda and the many other doctors who contributed to his well being. Also, we wish to thank his many friends at the First Baptist Church of Navasota, where Dad was a member, who prayed on his behalf and visited him often, and the congregation of the Anderson Baptist Church for their prayers, in particular, Pastor Dwain Steinkuehler and Rev. Dr. Jim Adams for their visits and comforting words. And, we would be remiss if we didn't thank two of his surviving longtime friends, Mr. Calvin Bentsen and his wife, of McAllen, Texas, and Mrs. Evelyn Godber of Lido Island, California.

Visitation will be on Thursday evening between 5 - 7 pm at Nobles Funeral Chapel , 402 East Blackshear, in Navasota. Funeral Services will be held on Friday Dec. 18th, at 11:00 am at the Anderson Baptist Church in Anderson. This small one room historic church, is the second Baptist church established in Texas. It was founded in 1844 by 10 individuals, among them Sarah Kennard, one of our ancestors and at which President Lyndon Johnson's grandfather preached - a fact about which Dad was very proud. Moreover, this is the church in which Dad started his earthly Christian journey through baptism and it seems only fitting for it to end there. Interment will follow at the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Anderson.
Serving as pallbearers will be Scott D. Kennard, Jonas W. Kennard, Campbell K. Aurelius, Anthony D. Kennard, William W. Kennard and Marcus Mallard.

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In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to the Benevolence Fund of the Anderson Baptist Church, 379 South Main Street, Anderson, Texas, 77830.