Davis Lee Kennedy

Davis Lee Kennedy, of Washington, DC, died on Christmas Day 2025. He was born on August 21, 1938 in Elkins, West Virginia. As a boy, he lived in Charleston, WV, Washington, DC and La Jolla, CA. He and his parents travelled the globe many times over. A trip behind the Iron Curtain including Prague, Budapest, the Kremlin and Lake Baikal in 1954 had a particular influence. Davis spent many hours of his childhood at the San Diego Zoo, helping the zookeepers tend to the animals there. Davis loved animals his entire life. Davis attended Cate School in Carpinteria, CA, and Harvard College and Business School in Cambridge, MA. Throughout his life, Davis maintained a strong connection with these institutions. Well into his 80’s, he participated in reunions and reconnected with Cate and Harvard friends. In the years between college and business school, Davis served in Germany as an officer in the U.S. Army. He was part of the force sent to defend Berlin in 1961 after the Soviets constructed the Berlin Wall.  Davis devoted his adult life to editing and publishing community newspapers, including the Alexandria Port Packet, the Gaithersburg Gazette, and the Northwest Current, among others. He spent many, many evenings at various community meetings and events. His dedication to providing a balanced, apolitical news source about local politics and events had a deeply positive impact on the communities in which he lived and worked. Davis’s Christian faith was central to his life. Wherever he lived, he developed a strong connection with a church community. He will be interred in the columbarium at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC, where he was an active member. Davis was preceded in death by his mother, Bruce Lee Kennedy, his father, John A. Kennedy, and his siblings John Kennedy, Stoddard Johnston, and Lee Norton. He is survived by his sister, Patricia Grimsted of Cambridge, MA, Heningham George Kennedy of Cockeysville, MD, sons Bruce Lee Kennedy II (Maggie) of Baltimore, MD and Scott Kennedy (Ambika) of Boston, MA, and daughter Hen Kennedy (Adam) of Austin, TX. He was blessed with seven grandchildren: Lee, Elizabeth, Arin, Ayla, Grace, Luke, and Lily.  A Memorial Service will be held on January 24th at 11am at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC. Memorial gifts can be made to St Alban’s Episcopal Church or the San Diego Zoo.