TONY LAMAR KENNEDY, 66 WAS BORN IN LEXINGTON SOUTH CAROLINA ON JANUARY 28, 1960, TO THE LATE MR. BOOKER T. BASTON, JR AND ERNESTINE KENNEDY BASTON FOULKS.

TONY WAS A GRADUATE OF LEXINGTON HIGH SCHOOL, THE CLASS OF 1978. WHILE IN SCHOOL, TONY EXCELLED IN BASEBALL, FOOTBALL, AND OTHER SPORTS, BUT HIS MAIN FOCUS WAS HIS VOCATIONAL CLASS OF BRICK MASON. HE FOUND JOY IN PROVIDING FOR HIS FAMILY. TONY WAS THE LIFE OF THE PARTY AND ALWAYS KNEW HOW TO MAKE EVERYONE LAUGH. HE WAS STERN BUT LOVING. IF HE CALLED YOU HIS FRIEND, HE MEANT IT. HE LOVED WITH EVERYTHING IN HIM. HE CHERISHED EVERY MOMENT HE SPENT WITH EACH OF US. TONY HAD A GREAT LOVE FOR COLLECTIBLES. SOME OF HIS INTEREST INCLUDE NASCAR RACING, USC GIRL’S GAMECOCK BASKETBALL, BUT MOST OF ALL HE LOVED HIS DALLAS COWBOYS THROUGH AND THROUGH.

TONY WAS MARRIED TO CONTANCE LESABRE RHINES KENNEDY WHERE THEY ARE THE PARENTS OF FIVE CHILDREN AND THE GRANDPARENTS OF THREE GRANDAUGHTERS.

TONY WAS A PERSON WHO HAD MANY OCCUPATIONAL SKILLS AND TRADES. HE MADE USE OF ALL OF HIS TRADES THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE’S JOURNEY. TONY WAS EXCELLENT WITH HIS HANDS, HIS CHILDREN CALLED HIM “MR. FIX-IT", AS THERE WAS NOTHING THAT HE COULD’NT FIX. TONY WAS AN EXCELLENT CARPENTER. TONY WAS A HARD-WORKING MAN AT AN EARLY AGE WORKING IN THE FIELDS ALONG SIDE HIS MOTHER. UPON LEAVING HOME, HE WENT ON TO WORK FOR JACKSON CONSTRUCTION, UNION UNDERWEAR, CARPENTER AT SPECIALITY WOODWORKS OF LEXINGTON AND FINALLY RETIRING FROM RED BANK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

TONY’S CHRISTIAN WALK STARTED EARLY IN LIFE; HOWEVER, HE FOUND HIS PLACE TO CALL HOME WITH NEW BETHEL AME CHUCH WHERE HE WOULD LEND HIS VOICE TO THE NEW BETHEL MEN’S CHOIR. TONY LOVED THE LORD AND HE WOULD LET YOU KNOW THAT COULD DO NOTHING WITHOUT HIS GOD.

AS TONY’S HEALTH DECLINED, HE NEEDED SOMETHING TO DO WITH HIS TIME DAILY, SO HE ATTENDED THE PACE PROGRAM FOR THE SENIORS AS WELL AS THE DISABLED. THE RESIDENTS AT THE DAY PROGRAM CALLED TONY “THE GENERAL”, AS HE COMMANDED ATTENTION.

TONY’S MOST FAVORITE PAST TIME OF THEM ALL WAS SPENDING TIME WITH HIS THREE GRANDDAUGHTERS WHO AFFECTIONATELY CALLED HIM “WOO-WOO”. WHEN SEEING THEM, YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT HE HAD FOUND A POT OF GOLD... THEY WERE HIS JOY. HE GAVE THEM EACH A NICKNAME: LAILAH BUG, ZA, AND HAVY-DOO.

TONY WAS PREDECEASED BY HIS GRANDPARENTS: BOOKER T. BASTON SR, DORA BASTON, JOHNATHAN BLACK, METTIE MAE KEISLER-BLACK.AND ERNEST KENNEDY. PARENTS: BOOKER T. BASTON JR, AND ERNESTINE KENNEDY BASTON-FOULKS, BROTHER, CHRISTOPHER I. BASTON, MOTHER-IN-LAW, EVANGELIST ANNIE E. RHINES. SISTER-IN-LAW JACINTA RHINES-REID, AND A HOST OF AUNTS AND UNCLES.

TONY WAS A GREAT PROVIDER FOR HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN AS HE WAS FIRM ON THEIR EDUCATION AND THE FOUNDATION OF FAMILY. TONY LEAVES BEHIND HIS WIFE OF THE HOME, CONSTANCE L. RHINES KENNEDY, 3 SONS, ANTONIO C. L. KENNEDY, OF COLUMBIA, SC, ALEXANDER T. KENNEDY AND BRANDON L. WILKERSON, BOTH OF LEXINGTON AND 2 DAUGHTERS, KRYSTAL P. (KRIS) DAVIS , AND AVIS N. KENNEDY BOTH OF LEXINGTON, 3 GRANDDAUGTERS, LAILAH E. MYERS, ZARIYAH I. MYERS, AND HAVYN I. COBBS, 1 SISTER, TETA B. PEAY, 2 BROTHERS, EDWARD R. FOULKS AND AL (AUDREY ) RHETT, FATHER IN LAW, WILLIE E OLIVER, ROSETTA WALKER (AUNT), WILLER RENE GLOVER (WILLIE), JEANETTE THOMAS (BENNIE), BERLINDA BASTON, HILDA GUESS (EDWIN) AND A HOST OF NEICES, NEPHEWS, COUSINS AND FRIENDS THAT ARE TOO NUMEROUS TO NAME, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.

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