Robert (Bob) C. Kennedy of Saratoga Springs, NY, passed away at Saratoga Hospital on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at the age of 99, three weeks shy of his 100th birthday.

Born on October 15, 1925, in Mt. Kisco, NY, Bob was the son of Helen (Rose) Kennedy and Charles P. Kennedy.

He spent most of his childhood in Canisteo, NY in Stueben County where he was an active member of the Boy Scouts of America, working as a camp counselor and earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Bob enlisted in the Navy in 1943 and served aboard the USS Missouri throughout her WWII Pacific Campaign. He was a witness to the signing of the Peace Treaty with Japan which took place aboard the Missouri on September 2, 1945 in Tokyo Bay.  After the war, he returned to Canisteo where he enrolled in Alfred University and obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1950. He taught school briefly at the Canisteo Central School and went on to work for the Erie Railroad, RCA, and the General Electric Company.  Bob also worked in real estate for several years in the Syracuse Area.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 76 years, Ruth Shepardson Kennedy. Bob and Ruth married in 1949.  Throughout their marriage they journeyed with their children Steven and Karen, to Ohio, New York, Oklahoma, Florida and back to New York before retiring to a home on Keuka Lake.  After retirement they continued their adventure, eventually moving to Melbourne, Florida.  Most recently, Bob and Ruth lived in Prestwick Chase at Saratoga Springs, NY.

Bob was a lifelong member of the Methodist Church, actively serving the church in each of the communities in which he lived. He loved the outdoors, taking the family on countless camping trips to the Adirondacks, usually Raquette Lake and vacationing at various cottages on Keuka Lake. He was a hunter and fisherman, his silhouette in a fishing boat or canoe a common site to his family. An avid reader, Bob always had books and magazines next to his chair and frequently would read passages aloud to anyone who was around.  As his eyesight failed, he turned to audio books to continue his hobby.

Bob is survived also by his son Steven (Karen E.) Kennedy of Zellwood, FL, daughter Karen A. Kennedy of Queensbury, NY, granddaughter Christine P. Kennedy of Saratoga Springs, NY and two great-grandsons Mason and Connor; his sister, Patricia Kennedy Pertner (Paul) of Vancouver, WA, his cousin Donna Bodner of Keuka Lake, NY, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

He is predeceased by his parents, brother Richard W. Kennedy, sister-in-law Margaret (Shepardson) Ireland and brother-in-law Wilfred Shepardson, as well as his in-laws Freda and Arthur Shepardson.

Calling hours will be held at William J. Burke & Sons Funeral Home, 628 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY on Sunday, September 28, 2025 from Noon to 3PM with a memorial service to follow.

Burial with military honors will be at Hillside Cemetery in Canisteo, NY, on Tuesday, September 30, 2025 at 11am.

For those wishing to honor Bob's memory, the family suggests a donation in his name to the Battleship Missouri Memorial at USSMISSOURI.ORG

Online remembrances may be made at www.burkefuneralhome.com.