Bio-Kennedy, RessieRay

Home

Ressie "Ray" Kennedy Sr.
(1894-1990)

Ressie "Ray" Kennedy Sr. was born on Sept. 22, 1894 in the Webster community of Taylor County, WV, the son of Josiah and Ruth Ann (Minerd) Kennedy Sr. He was of medium height and build, with eyes and hair of brown.

Circa 1910, when the census was taken, Ray made his home with his married brother John H. Kennedy in Knottsville, Taylor County, and worked as a laborer on the home farm.

In 1917, at the age of 22, Ray registered for the military draft during World War I. He apparently did so in absentia, with his father Josiah deputized by the draft board to complete the registration card, upon which Josiah marked his son's race as "Indian." Ray indeed served in the military, and when the federal census was taken in 1920, he was stationed at Camp McAllen in Hidalgo County, TX.

Ray was married to a cousin, Cora Bell Mayle (1900-1976), the daughter of Emily Jane "Emma" (Minerd) Mayle.

They had 12 children -- Wilma Kennedy, Beryl Eugene Kennedy, Julius M. Kennedy; Ressie "Ray" Kennedy Jr., Virginia Belle Weaver; Melba R. Mayle, Christina R. Mayle, Sheila Mae Sheme, Evelyn Lee Kennedy, Harry Wilmoth Kennedy; Beryl Kennedy; Catherine Kennedy and Juanita Newman.

In 1930, they lived at Cecil; in 1942 and 1956, resided at Grafton Route 1, thought to have been Knottsville, when she was mentioned in the newspaper obituaries of a sister and brother, respectively. When Cora Bell's brother Burley Mayle tragically was killed in a railroad accident in 1930, the funeral was held in the Kennedys' home.

Ray was a coal miner, farmer and a laborer on the Tygart River Dam near Grafton. He was a veteran of World War I, serving with the U.S. Cavalry, and was a member of the VFW Memorial City Post 3081 in Grafton and Taylor County Post 12 of the American Legion.

Cora passed away in 1976 at the age of 76.

Ray outlived his wife by 14 years. He passed away on Jan. 5, 1990 in Grafton, at the age of 96, and was buried in Mt. View Cemetery.

Pinecrest Sanitarium in Beckley, where son Harry Kennedy died of TB

~ Son Harry Wilmoth Kennedy ~

Son Harry Wilmoth Kennedy (1915-1949) was unmarried. He " worked for a contractor in Canton, Ohio, for a number of years," reported the Grafton Sentinel. Suffering from tuberculosis, he passed away at age 33, on May 15, 1949, at the Pinecrest Sanitarium in Beckley, Raleigh County, WV. His funeral was led by Rev. Fred DeCost at Mount View Church, followed by burial at Mt. View Cemetery.

~ Daughter Juanita (Kennedy) Newman ~

Daughter Juanita Kennedy (1920- ? ) married (?) Newman. Circa 1968, they lived in Canton, OH.

~ Daughter Virginia Belle (Kennedy) Weaver ~

Daughter Virginia Belle Kennedy (1922- ? ) married Leon Weaver ( ? - ? ), and they lived in Grafton. The Weavers had seven children --Ernest Weaver, Jerry Weaver, Lonnie Weaver, Sue Bice, Laura Jones, Rita Faye Weaver and Delores Jean Sheme.

Daughter Rita Faye Weaver died in infancy.

Daughter Delores Jean Weaver (1942-2009) married Charles R. "Chuck" Sheme. They resided in the Simpson community of Flemington, and had four children --Karen Dalton, Tammy Setler, Melinda Jenkins and Charles "Renzie" Sheme Jr. Delores passed away at the age of 66 on Aug. 23, 2009. She was laid to rest in the Pritchard Cemetery, reported the Mountain Statesman, following a funeral led by Rev. David Maley.

~ Daughter Evelyn Lee Kennedy ~

Daughter Evelyn Lee Kennedy (1923-1930) did not survive childhood. She died of hepatitis at the age of seven on May 25, 1930.

~ Son Ressie Ray Kennedy Jr. ~

Son Ressie Ray Kennedy Jr. (1926- ? ) was born on March 7, 1926 at Grafton. At the age of 28, on May 10, 1954, he married Roena Lois "Sis" Kennedy (1933- ? ), age 21, daughter of Ellis and Alma Kennedy. The ceremony was performed at Simpson, Taylor County by Rev. Fred DeCost, of the Methodist church.

He resided in Grafton and Mt. Clemens, MI, circa 1968, and in Grafton in the 2000s.

~ Daughter Christina (Kennedy) Mayle ~

Daughter Christina Kennedy married (?) Mayle.

They resided in Canton, OH circa 1968 and in Grafton in 1990-2011.

~ Daughter Melba R. "Meb" (Kennedy) Mayle ~

Daughter Melba R. "Meb" Kennedy (1928-2011) was born in 1928 in Grafton. She married Alfred "Tenny" Mayle (-2011), the son of Earl Creed and Vestine Mayle. They enjoyed 62 years of married life together.

They had four sons -- Charles E. Mayle, Michael E. Mayle, Alfred Ross Mayle and Kenneth Alfred Mayle. Said the Grafton Mountain Statesman, Melba "was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and sister to her family."

The Mayles lived in Detroit, MI in 1949; in Streetsboro, OH in 1968. Tenny was employed as a die setter for three decades at Chrysler Corporation's plant in Twinsburg, OH and was a member of the United Auto Workers Union Local 122. Following retirement, they moved back to Grafton, where they made their home in 1990-2011. While in West Virginia, they were members of the West Hill Methodist Church, and Tenny enjoyed hunting and riding his four-wheeler vehicle.

Melba passed away at the age of 82 in their home on Flag Run Road in the Knottsville community of Grafton, on Feb. 7, 2011. She was laid to rest in the West Virginia National Cemetery in Pruntytown, Taylor County.

Tenny only outlived her by a few months. He died at the age of 89 on June 1, 2011. He joined his wife in eternal repose at the West Virginia National Cemetery.

~ Son Julius M. Kennedy ~

Son Julius M. Kennedy (1933-2002) lived at East Canton, Stark County, OH. He married Audrey Hurless (1932- ? ) on May 19, 1956, with Rev. Charles V. Tate officiating.

They had six children -- Jeffrey Kennedy, Julius M. Kennedy Jr., Pamela Kennedy, Timothy Kennedy, Lurene Moore and Debra Lynn Kennedy.

Julius "was retired from Republic Steel in 1995 after 20 years of service," reported the Canton Repository. He died in 2002.

~ Son Beryl Eugene Kennedy ~

Son Beryl Eugene Kennedy (1938-1968) never married. He moved to Detroit, MI, and was employed by the Duramire Abrasive Company of Warren, OH.

Tragically, he died in a hospital in Sandusky, Erie County, OH, on April 11, 1968, following an automobile accident at the age of 29. His remains were returned to West Virginia for burial in Mt. View Cemetery.

~ Daughter Sheila (Kennedy) Sheme ~

Daughter Sheila Kennedy married Ronald "Ronnie" Sheme.

They lived in Cleveland, OH in 1968 and in Grafton in 1990-2011.