Thomas Joseph Kenworthy

The Lord called home one of his greatest faith warriors, Thomas Joseph Kenworthy, of Mercer Island, WA on Thursday April 7, 2016. He was 79 years old.

Tom was born on June 20, 1936 in Melrose, Iowa to Katherine and Herbert Kenworthy. He was the oldest of seven children from a strong Irish Catholic farming family. Tom graduated from Melrose High School in 1954 and went onto to receive his Bachelors of Science degree at Iowa State University in 1961. He served as one of the original volunteers when President Kennedy commissioned the Peace Corps in 1963 and was the first volunteer from the state of Iowa. He served two years in Tenza, Colombia and then went on to recruit for the Peace Corps. He returned to Iowa and on August 26, 1967 he married the love of his life, Jurene, at St. John’s in Des Moines, Iowa. In May of 1973 he received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. In 1977, he moved with his wife and three children to Mercer Island where he has made his home for the last 39 years.

After a 24 year career in labor relations with the Federal Government and an additional six years with Boeing, he retired. He enjoyed a lifelong passion for service to his faith, his community and his family. He served in the Knights of Columbus as a Faithful Navigator and Grand Knight. He held many volunteer roles throughout his life with St. Monica’s Parish and School. His faith in God was unwavering and gave him great strength to overcome many challenges in life. He took great pride in his family’s military service going back to the Revolutionary War and was a true patriot raising all three of his children to serve as officers in the United States military. He loved anything to do with airplanes and flying, enjoying many years as a private pilot.

He is survived by his loving wife, Jurene, of 49 years, and their children, Kathleen Callahan (Jake), Matt Kenworthy, Sarah Woodhead (Mark) and their nine grandchildren: Luke Kenworthy; Rowan, Meghan and Shannon Callahan; Ryan, Kaeden, Connor, Andrew and James Woodhead. He is also survived by his six younger siblings as well as numerous nieces, nephews, in-laws and cousins.

Visitation on Wednesday, April 13th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Flintoft’s Funeral Home in Issaquah. Mass of Christian Burial on Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Monica’s Catholic Church on Mercer Island. Remembrances may be made to Friends of the Needy via St. Monica’s. Friends are invited to share their memories in the family’s online guest book at www.flintofts.com.