Obituary: John 'Jack' Kendall, Longtime Waltham Resident

The following is from Joyce Funeral Home.

Mr. John L. "Jack" Kendall, of Waltham, died peacefully on Sunday, May 11, 2014 in Newton-Wellesley Hospital. He was 92.

Mr.Kendall was born in Manchester, New Hamphsire, on March 6, 1922, a son of the late Albert and Bella (Genest) Kendall. Jack was raised in Somerville and had lived in Waltham for many years.

During World War II, he joined the U.S. Navy and became a fighter pilot assigned to a Corsair squadron. After the war, Jack began a 34-year career in the newspaper business, starting at the Boston Post and later with the Record American. He retired from the Boston Herald.

During these years, he was a member of the Naval Reserve, flying out of the Naval Air Stations at Squantum and South Weymouth. Jack retired as a Lieutenant Commander.

An avid sailor, he was a long-time member of the Cottage Park Yacht Club in Winthrop.

Jack was the husband of the late Mary R. (Matheson) Kendall and is survived by his son, John S. Kendall and his wife Gayle of Medfield; his daughter, Susan Kadzis and her husband John of Wayland; his grandchildren, Deborah Kendall Abernathy and her husband Damon of Bedford, New Hampshire, John R. Kendall of Medfield and Steven L. Kendall of West Roxbury; his great grandchildren, Kendall Abernathy and Tanner Abernathy of Bedford, New Hampshire; and several nieces and nephews.

He was also the brother of the late Alberta Kendall, Lawrence Kendall, Gertrude Kendall and Arthur James Kendall.

Family and friends will honor and remember Jack's life by gathering for calling hours on Thursday, May 15, from 4-8 p.m. in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main St. (Route 20), and again on Friday morning at 11 a.m. when his funeral service will be held. Burial will follow in Mount Feake Cemetery, Waltham.

Memorial donations may be made to the Massachusetts General Hospital Cure Dementia Program, c/o Shawn Fitzgibbons, 100 Cambridge St., Suite 1310, Boston, MA 02114.