Elbert "Al" J. Kennedy

Elbert “Al” Joseph Kennedy October 2, 1937 – October 17, 2025 • Age 88

Al lived with his sleeves rolled up and his heart wide open. If something was broken, he fixed it. If someone needed help, he was already on the way. He had a storyteller’s gift and a quiet strength that made people feel safe.

Son of Franklin Joseph Kennedy and Marjorie May Woodward, Al graduated from Denver’s West High School in 1955 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy soon after, serving as a Damage Controlman. He was proud of that service and told those sea stories with a sparkle that stuck. Back home in Denver, Al hired on at Acme Distribution as a truck driver and, through grit, loyalty, and plain competence, rose to Senior Vice President of Warehousing. He retired from the same company where he started—respected by the people who worked for him and trusted by the people he worked with. He led by example: show up, do the work, take care of your team.

His best chapter began on a sidewalk outside his apartment, when he helped a neighbor with car trouble. That neighbor was Judy Moon. One year later, in 1964, they were married—and they stayed a team for life. They raised three children—David Joseph, Pamela Sue, and Mark Allen—and packed their years with camping and road trips, plus plenty of meals at Los Arcos, his go-to Mexican restaurant. Al also loved animals, most of all his last golden retriever, Buddy, whom he happily called his best friend.

Al was the dependable one. Quick wit. Big laugh. A faithful husband, a devoted dad and granddad, and the guy who’d give you the shirt off his back and then fix your fence before you could thank him.

Those who love him and carry his legacy: his wife, Judy Ann Kennedy; his children, David Joseph and his wife, Sharon, Pamela Sue and her husband, Mark, and Mark Allen; his grandchildren, Tucker, Calli Ann, Nicole and her husband, D’Angelo, Josh, Brandee, and Cody; his great-granddaughters, Amiyah and Kaliyah; and a large extended family of relatives and friends.