Ed Kennedy, former Kalispell mayor, dies at age 83

John “Ed” Kennedy, who served as mayor of Kalispell and in the Montana State Senate, died on Jan. 25 at the age of 83.

Kennedy owned the Medical Arts Pharmacy and later designed and built the Sykes Pharmacy inside the Sykes Grocery and Market on Second Avenue West.

Kennedy was elected as Kalispell mayor in 1986 serving until 1990, and went on to be chosen as one of six mayors to represent the U.S. on a goodwill mission to Russia, according to his obituary.

During his bid for mayor, Kennedy told the Daily Inter Lake in 1985 that if elected he intended to take care of things that were slipping through the cracks in the previous administration.

“I’ve got to get in there,” he said. “I’ve got to take care of things.”

In 1990, he was elected to the Montana Senate before retiring from public office. In 1992, Kennedy, a Democrat, predicted better cooperation between the parties at the state Legislature. He served as chairman of the Senate Local Government Committee.

“I’m very excited about this session,” he told the Daily Inter Lake in November of 1992. “Everybody realizes that we have to bite the bullet, but it will be a real challenge. The makeup of the Legislature is going to force us to (cooperate).”

Kennedy is survived by wife, Charlotte; daughter, Shelly; and son, Tre’; and several grandchildren.

Born in Oklahoma City, the family moved to Colorado Springs where Kennedy graduated from high school. He earned his pharmacy degree at Southwestern State College in Oklahoma. He met his future wife Charlotte while working at a pharmacy in Fairbanks, Alaska.

A full obituary will appear in the Sunday edition of the Daily Inter Lake.