Little Kenny - A Tribute
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Atlanta, Ga
Posts: 291
Little Kenny - A Tribute
Kenny was born in 1932 in Maine as result of a rape of his Mother. His Mother was a deaf/mute young girl. He was raised in a loving home by his Mother and Grandparents during the Great Depression. His Mother died when he was 4 years old. A very hard/harsh upbringing during the Depression era.
At 17 he lied about his age and joined the Army. He stood 5'2 inches - therefore his name was Little Kenny. With no education he was flown to California and put on an ocean carrier to Korea. He was a so called "grunt". His first day in Korea he bagged bodies and body parts. He later moved in to the trenches, where he lived a hot day and a cold night. The milatary supplied rations and beer to those in the trenches. He was honarably discharged from the US Army and was an alcoholic.
Came home to US a very much older soul than his years. Continued to drink to mask the horrors of his past. Married a beautiful girl from an alcoholic home. Both drank and fought, especially if another man looked at his "Dolly". She really was stunning. She left him in 1969 and took his two kids.
He was Veteran without a family and most of all he was a full blown alcoholic. He became a HoBo - rode the train tracks. He got into a fight with another Hobo when he took the liquor the man was drinking. He told the Hobo "when I get as bad as you, I will quit drinking", the man he grabbed the bottle from replied "you are way worse than me". Stunned - Little Kenny walked to the VA Hospital in downtown Boston. He was turned away. He climbed the Flag Pole in front of the VA to hang himself. A little boy, the same age as the son he lost came up and asked him what he was doing. Little Kenny told him to go away. Defeate he walked to the nearest bar and ordered a drink without money. The bartender looked at him and said I am an alcoholic and if you want help, go across the street.
Little Kenny left the bar and went across the street and checked into the insane asylum. He was slowly recovering and facing his losses when his room mate cut his own throat. Little Kenny did his best to save him but the young man died. Little Kenny lost his mind. For how many years no one knows, all he said was red, white and blue / and Cadillac.
He eventually came back to present life and he guesses it was two years past. He searched for his family. They were all gone / moved to different areas and the one's left in Boston didn't tell him where his Wife, Daughter and Son were living.
29 years past, by this time he was an active member of AA and had been clean and sober since leaving the hospital. He now lived in Sanford, Maine. He could not find his family, but met a wonderful lady in AA who he was with until her death. They both were committed Catholics and had apartments across from each other. Neither one ever divorced their first and only spouses.
In 1993, "Dolly" passed in Boston. We found Little Kenny's (my husbands Fathers SS# in her apartment. She died a lonely alcoholic. I called Social Security and an ANGEL answered the phone. He gave me all of Little Kenny's information including where he lived. No one believed me and I called Social Security back to verify and they denied me any information. Divine Intervention.
Upon our return to Atlanta after covering Dolly's affairs, I asked my husband if he wanted to pursue contacting his Father. It was a gamble, was he a drunken devil, what were we opening ourselves up to??? Neither of us drank and we had a small child. We called his apartment complex the Angel from SS gave me. He lived there the apartment manager told me but was out of town working. His girlfriend who lived across the hall from him would relay our message to him.
I came home from work and there was a message on our taped answering machine (remember those??). Little Kenny's voice talking to his Son who was 29 yrs old - "Hello Kenny, this is your Dad. I am so happy you found me, please call me back". My husband called him and spent hours on the phone. It was arranged for him and his girlfriend to come from Maine to Atlanta in a month. Little Kenny could not wait that long and he and girlfriend "Yvette" were on the road within a week. A joyous reunion between a sober Father and his two children he lost for 24 years. No he wasn't a DEVIL he was an ANGEL. He spent his time between Atlanta and Maine for 6 years until the untimely death of his girlfriend Yvette- God Bless Her Soul.
He moved in with us in 1999. He was an awesome FIL and Father, Grandfather and friend to our Family. He and my Dad were best friends. He went to AA meetings at different places 3 times a day. He helped many in Georgia just like he did in Maine.
He passed away at 80 on Thanksgiving Day, 2011 in a car crash coming home from a meeting where he deep fried turkeys for others before meeting us - his family.
If you are interested look up my post a week or so ago concerning Little Kenny "Grandpoo". I was a failure. I will never forgive myself. He died helping and saving many, but he could not save me or my Brother.
He was SOBER 40 years. He was and is still a legend that not many can live up to. I know that because when I attend AA meetings I am known as Little Kenny's daughter. I am honored but also overwhelmed at times. I feel great sadness that I let him down when he was living, but at peace when I am sober. He tried to save my Brother also, but my ALCOHOLIC Brother committed suicide alone in a hotel room with a bottle beside him and a gunshot to the head. It crushed my Little Kenny and all the while I continued to drink and crush him. I was out of control after my Brothers death.
My Brother died in January, 2011 and Grandpoo died on Thanksgiving Day, 2011. I lost my two loves in 10 months. I drank like a fish to cover the pain. I hurt so many but I did not care, because I was drunk. It took me until April of 2013 to wake up.
I personally will never live up to Little Kenny's legacy, but I will make him proud. I know in my heart that he, my Brother, my Father, my Mother and all the family are looking down on me with prayer. Yes, I am an orphan in some ways, no family left on my side, but blessed with a tremendous family by marriage. I also have a Daughter who is a bartender and caught up in the high life. She gave me a beautiful Grandson whom I cherish and see almost daily.
Well, this is my tribute to Little Kenny. I was blessed the years he lived with us. My husband works nights and Little Kenny and I would put on music and laugh and dance. Those are the good memories. The bad ones are when he found me drunk and passed out and carried me to bed.
I hope I did justice to a great man. Taller in my eyes than what he actually was. Blessed that his friends from many places and age ranges still check on us. Blessed that I was the only one he shared his life with..sad his biological family came to me to hear his life's history. We spent years together and it took at least 6 years for me to get his whole history. I always told him I was going to video tape it for future generations. Never did, because I was a Drunk.
If you lived in Maine, Massachusetts or Georgia; I am sure you came across Little Kenny.
At 17 he lied about his age and joined the Army. He stood 5'2 inches - therefore his name was Little Kenny. With no education he was flown to California and put on an ocean carrier to Korea. He was a so called "grunt". His first day in Korea he bagged bodies and body parts. He later moved in to the trenches, where he lived a hot day and a cold night. The milatary supplied rations and beer to those in the trenches. He was honarably discharged from the US Army and was an alcoholic.
Came home to US a very much older soul than his years. Continued to drink to mask the horrors of his past. Married a beautiful girl from an alcoholic home. Both drank and fought, especially if another man looked at his "Dolly". She really was stunning. She left him in 1969 and took his two kids.
He was Veteran without a family and most of all he was a full blown alcoholic. He became a HoBo - rode the train tracks. He got into a fight with another Hobo when he took the liquor the man was drinking. He told the Hobo "when I get as bad as you, I will quit drinking", the man he grabbed the bottle from replied "you are way worse than me". Stunned - Little Kenny walked to the VA Hospital in downtown Boston. He was turned away. He climbed the Flag Pole in front of the VA to hang himself. A little boy, the same age as the son he lost came up and asked him what he was doing. Little Kenny told him to go away. Defeate he walked to the nearest bar and ordered a drink without money. The bartender looked at him and said I am an alcoholic and if you want help, go across the street.
Little Kenny left the bar and went across the street and checked into the insane asylum. He was slowly recovering and facing his losses when his room mate cut his own throat. Little Kenny did his best to save him but the young man died. Little Kenny lost his mind. For how many years no one knows, all he said was red, white and blue / and Cadillac.
He eventually came back to present life and he guesses it was two years past. He searched for his family. They were all gone / moved to different areas and the one's left in Boston didn't tell him where his Wife, Daughter and Son were living.
29 years past, by this time he was an active member of AA and had been clean and sober since leaving the hospital. He now lived in Sanford, Maine. He could not find his family, but met a wonderful lady in AA who he was with until her death. They both were committed Catholics and had apartments across from each other. Neither one ever divorced their first and only spouses.
In 1993, "Dolly" passed in Boston. We found Little Kenny's (my husbands Fathers SS# in her apartment. She died a lonely alcoholic. I called Social Security and an ANGEL answered the phone. He gave me all of Little Kenny's information including where he lived. No one believed me and I called Social Security back to verify and they denied me any information. Divine Intervention.
Upon our return to Atlanta after covering Dolly's affairs, I asked my husband if he wanted to pursue contacting his Father. It was a gamble, was he a drunken devil, what were we opening ourselves up to??? Neither of us drank and we had a small child. We called his apartment complex the Angel from SS gave me. He lived there the apartment manager told me but was out of town working. His girlfriend who lived across the hall from him would relay our message to him.
I came home from work and there was a message on our taped answering machine (remember those??). Little Kenny's voice talking to his Son who was 29 yrs old - "Hello Kenny, this is your Dad. I am so happy you found me, please call me back". My husband called him and spent hours on the phone. It was arranged for him and his girlfriend to come from Maine to Atlanta in a month. Little Kenny could not wait that long and he and girlfriend "Yvette" were on the road within a week. A joyous reunion between a sober Father and his two children he lost for 24 years. No he wasn't a DEVIL he was an ANGEL. He spent his time between Atlanta and Maine for 6 years until the untimely death of his girlfriend Yvette- God Bless Her Soul.
He moved in with us in 1999. He was an awesome FIL and Father, Grandfather and friend to our Family. He and my Dad were best friends. He went to AA meetings at different places 3 times a day. He helped many in Georgia just like he did in Maine.
He passed away at 80 on Thanksgiving Day, 2011 in a car crash coming home from a meeting where he deep fried turkeys for others before meeting us - his family.
If you are interested look up my post a week or so ago concerning Little Kenny "Grandpoo". I was a failure. I will never forgive myself. He died helping and saving many, but he could not save me or my Brother.
He was SOBER 40 years. He was and is still a legend that not many can live up to. I know that because when I attend AA meetings I am known as Little Kenny's daughter. I am honored but also overwhelmed at times. I feel great sadness that I let him down when he was living, but at peace when I am sober. He tried to save my Brother also, but my ALCOHOLIC Brother committed suicide alone in a hotel room with a bottle beside him and a gunshot to the head. It crushed my Little Kenny and all the while I continued to drink and crush him. I was out of control after my Brothers death.
My Brother died in January, 2011 and Grandpoo died on Thanksgiving Day, 2011. I lost my two loves in 10 months. I drank like a fish to cover the pain. I hurt so many but I did not care, because I was drunk. It took me until April of 2013 to wake up.
I personally will never live up to Little Kenny's legacy, but I will make him proud. I know in my heart that he, my Brother, my Father, my Mother and all the family are looking down on me with prayer. Yes, I am an orphan in some ways, no family left on my side, but blessed with a tremendous family by marriage. I also have a Daughter who is a bartender and caught up in the high life. She gave me a beautiful Grandson whom I cherish and see almost daily.
Well, this is my tribute to Little Kenny. I was blessed the years he lived with us. My husband works nights and Little Kenny and I would put on music and laugh and dance. Those are the good memories. The bad ones are when he found me drunk and passed out and carried me to bed.
I hope I did justice to a great man. Taller in my eyes than what he actually was. Blessed that his friends from many places and age ranges still check on us. Blessed that I was the only one he shared his life with..sad his biological family came to me to hear his life's history. We spent years together and it took at least 6 years for me to get his whole history. I always told him I was going to video tape it for future generations. Never did, because I was a Drunk.
If you lived in Maine, Massachusetts or Georgia; I am sure you came across Little Kenny.
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Atlanta, Ga
Posts: 291
My Father-In-Law (Little Kenny) and my Dad were the most honorable men I have ever known. I could tell a lot more, but I am not tonight. LOL - my Dad was a PHD in Psychology for the Georgia Dept of Corrections. He counseled the worst of the worst. That is another post I might do someday. He could not save me either - but then he did not have any addictions but both his kids did.
If anyone who feels the need to fulfill their addiction, read Grandpoo's story. He had it way worse than any of us alive today. Go hungry for days, sleep in a trench, ride a train, try to save a life and most of all come out of it a humble man.
That is where I am today, sympathy for those addicted like myself and anger knowing that I lost a Brother due to addiction. I am greatful for my time with Grandpoo, but I will never not post my true feelings. He overcame the Great Depression, Korean War and was married to the woman who left him for his whole life.
Addiction is Addiction. Make your own choices. A 80 year old man conquered worse than most of us and he managed to put a life together that saved many. Is it unique - NO. Does it mean anything to an addict - It Should.
We all make choices and I screwed up when he was alive, but I am so blessed to have a community around me that includes Boston, Maine and Georgia.
I challenge anyone who is facing addiction and feels deep down that they cannot conqueer it, join me tonight. I fight the battle and need the support. We are all addicts of different substances, but each of us needs support each other one day at a time.
I do not want sympathy, I just want the truth.
If anyone who feels the need to fulfill their addiction, read Grandpoo's story. He had it way worse than any of us alive today. Go hungry for days, sleep in a trench, ride a train, try to save a life and most of all come out of it a humble man.
That is where I am today, sympathy for those addicted like myself and anger knowing that I lost a Brother due to addiction. I am greatful for my time with Grandpoo, but I will never not post my true feelings. He overcame the Great Depression, Korean War and was married to the woman who left him for his whole life.
Addiction is Addiction. Make your own choices. A 80 year old man conquered worse than most of us and he managed to put a life together that saved many. Is it unique - NO. Does it mean anything to an addict - It Should.
We all make choices and I screwed up when he was alive, but I am so blessed to have a community around me that includes Boston, Maine and Georgia.
I challenge anyone who is facing addiction and feels deep down that they cannot conqueer it, join me tonight. I fight the battle and need the support. We are all addicts of different substances, but each of us needs support each other one day at a time.
I do not want sympathy, I just want the truth.
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