James Rex Kendall

It is with sadness we share the news of the death of James Rex Jim Kendall, 80, of Middletown, RI on Sunday, September 4, 2011 at Newport Hospital. The husband of Joan Horvath Kendall and the only child of the late James W. and Garnet Rex Kendall, he was born in Chicago, IL in 1931. Following two years of service in the U.S. Army, Jim returned in 1950 from his station in Germany and in the next year he married his beloved Joan in Norwalk, CT. In May 2011, the couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Originally trained as an electrician, Jim worked for 30 years as an engineer for IBM, contributing to NASAs Saturn 5 project at The Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL at the height of the 1960s United States Space Program. In the early 1970s his work led him to Newport, for among other assignments, collaborations with the Naval Underwater Systems Center. While dedicated to his occupation, Jim at heart was an artist. He had a special fondness for painting with watercolors - at which he excelled - and a knack for drawing cartoons that delighted his co-workers with accurate caricatures and amusing depictions of workplace scenarios. To be sure, there was nothing that Jim liked more than a hearty laugh, and his iconoclastic, often ribald sense of humor was highly valued by those with the good fortune and fortitude to experience it. In quieter moments he enjoyed building model airplanes while listening to good music. Jim Kendall didnt have a mean bone in his body. He will be missed. Besides his wife Joan, he is survived by his son Bradford R. and wife Leigh K. Kendall; daughter Kristy K. and husband Christopher Kerins; son Gregory J. Kendall and wife Constance White; son Robert T. and wife Cynthia M. Kendall; grandchildren Lily, Stephen, Evan, Matthew, Lucas and Dana Kendall; Derek, Alison, and Joel Kerins; and numerous nieces and nephews. Calling hours will be held on Thursday, September 8, 2011 from 10:30am to 12:00pm at Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport, with funeral services to follow at 12 noon. Burial will be at Newport Memorial Park in Middletown. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jims memory may be made to the charity of your choice.