James William Kennedy of Mesa, AZ passed away at his home March 31, 2007 at the age of 80 years. Funeral services will be held 11:00am Thursday April 5, 2007 at Slininger-Rossow Funeral Home in Jefferson, IA. Interment will be in the Rippey Cemetery, Rippey, Iowa. The family will greet friends at Slininger-Rossow Funeral Home in Jefferson beginning at 9:30am Thursday prior to the funeral service.

Jim was born July 18, 1926 at Carroll, Iowa, the son of James and Margaret Rafferty Kennedy. He grew up in Bayard, Iowa.

Jim was a self-employed salesman who developed and successfully ran route sales for a variety of food products companies in Iowa and Minnesota, including Iowa Pie Company, Hiland Potato Chip, Pepperidge Farm Bread and Cookies, and Brownberry Bread. Throughout his career he lived in the Des Moines area for 30 years, and in the Cedar Rapids area for nearly 20 years. Upon retiring in 1987, Jim and his wife, Cleo, enjoyed traveling the U.S. Jim was an avid collector of automotive pictures and Crosley cars and trucks. He became active in the Crosley Automobile Club, Inc., serving as Secretary/Treasurer in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Jim and Cleo relocated to Mesa, AZ in July 2004.

Jim is survived by his wife of 59 years, Cleo (Fouch) Kennedy of Mesa, AZ; three daughters: Mary Wiegand of Mesa, AZ; Rebecca Kennedy of St. Charles, MO; and Cynthia Dettman of Cedar Rapids, IA; one grandson, Andrew Wiegand of Mesa, AZ; and a sister, Margaret “Margie” Woltjer of Marshalltown, IA.