Dr. Thomas Joseph Kenney, Sr. of Milton passed away at his home on October 20th. He was 87 years old.

Tom is survived by his extraordinary wife of 63 years, Mary Kenney, and their eight children: Dr. Thomas (Rebecca) Kenney, Jr., Kathleen (Danny) Shea, Erin (Kevin) Donahoe, Patrick (Anacristina) Kenney, Dr. Christopher (Danielle) Kenney, all of Milton, Matthew (Katie) Kenney of Hingham, Andrew (Shannon) Kenney of Hermosa Beach, CA, and Courtney (Sean Irving) Kenney of Milton. Tom was also a loving grandfather to 27 grandchildren, all of whom he adored. Tom is survived by his three siblings, Jack Kenney of Las Vegas, NV, Patricia Nyhan of Naples, FL, and Paul Kenney of Norwood, MA.

Tom’s remarkable life was filled with love, adventure, and tremendous achievement. He was a distinguished physician, a devoted husband, and a beloved father and grandfather. To know him was to truly love him. He filled every room he entered with life, laughter and song. His Irish wit, storytelling, and joyful sense of humor brought great happiness to his family and friends. He loved to talk to anyone about any subject imaginable (other than hockey) with complete confidence and expertise.

Over the years, as Tom raised a family with Mary, he built lifelong relationships with their many dear friends from the Milton community, with whom they spent cherished years together at Wollaston Golf Club, St. Elizabeth’s Parish, and traveling the world.

Tom was a loyal friend and a kind man who believed in the importance of decency, honesty and integrity. His simple explanation for most everything he did in his life was, in his words, “because it was the right thing to do.” Drawing on his Catholic upbringing, he understood the importance of being a good person, and helping those around him, particularly those sick and those less fortunate. It was this compassion and his enduring belief in helping others that made him an irreplaceable role model for his family and also a pillar of the medical community.

Tom was born on October 6, 1937, the oldest child of four to the late Thomas and Mary Kenney of Mattapan. Tom’s father, a Boston police officer with whom he shared a very close bond, passed away when Tom was 12. This was the seminal moment in Tom’s life that forced him to build the grit and strong work ethic that shaped the man he would become. As he would say many years later, “you wouldn’t have given much of chance in life to a poor kid from Mattapan on welfare with no father…” But with the loving support of Mary, his family and the steady guidance from the Jesuit community, who recognized his intellect and his potential, Tom bootstrapped his way through school and built a life and career that was fulfilling, incredibly successful and touched countless lives.

Tom would graduate from B.C. High School (1955) and later Boston College (1959), before pursuing his passion in medicine. He attended Georgetown University School of Medicine (1963), where he graduated Cum Laude, and was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He completed his internship in internal medicine at the UNC School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, followed by residency in internal medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine and Boston City Hospital in 1965. Tom then served as a Captain in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. He would later complete his fellowship in gastroenterology at Duke University School of Medicine in 1970.

Thereafter, Tom began his private medical practice on the south shore specializing in gastroenterology, a pioneering achievement which was the first of its kind. In the early years, he traveled from office to office with his suitcase and scopes, never missing a day of work, working tirelessly to establish himself and make ends meet with eight children at home. As he burnished his reputation as an outstanding practitioner, he expanded his practice to include Carney Hospital, where he would later become the Chief of Gastroenterology, a board member, and earn the Vincentian Award for medical excellence. He also served South Shore Hospital and Milton Hospital, where he practiced for over 40 years and was honored for his exemplary service. He was a visionary in the field of gastrointestinal medicine and was among the first to introduce gastrointestinal endoscopy to the region and built the first dedicated endoscopy center on the south shore of Massachusetts.

Skilled and compassionate, Tom became one of the most respected physicians in his field. Treating and caring for thousands of patients and saving lives, he helped generations of patients doing what he loved to do. He loved his nurses. He loved his patients. He loved his staff. Tom had time for everyone. Tom made each and every person feel like they mattered to him, because they did. Despite his status and his achievements, he never lost sight of who he was and where he came from. When scheduling patients, he’d remind his nurses not to tell him whether or not the patient could pay or had insurance; he insisted that he would see anyone who needed help, regardless of their means. It was this empathy that so characterized who he was.

In retirement, Tom spent his time with Mary and their family and friends. He always kept up with his medical journals and research, because there was nothing he enjoyed more than being a doctor. He loved learning and he always wanted to be informed. He loved to work on his yard, his gardening added touches of beauty everywhere you looked. He joined the church choir, an amazing tenor, singing like he used to for his father at local bars when he was young. He lit up every holiday with his voice and sang beautifully until his very last days. He became an artist, and his beautiful paintings adorned the walls of his and his children’s homes, bringing color and warmth to every room, just as he had.

As a man of strong faith, and an active member of St. Elizabeth’s Parish in Milton, Tom and Mary always looked for ways to help others through charitable giving throughout their lives. In addition to their work with the Catholic Charities, Tom and Mary endowed B.C. High School, Boston College and Georgetown with scholarships to enable “talented young men and women to benefit from a Jesuit education regardless of their family’s financial circumstances,” which continue a legacy of giving at these schools that meant so much to him.

The world will be different without our dad, Tom Kenney. It will be quieter. We will miss his smile. We will miss his laughter and singing. We will miss his sense of humor and his stories. We will miss his hugs. We will miss him whistling down the hall at home. We will miss him rolling around with the dog on the floor. We will miss our time together on the golf course or at a Sox game. We will miss seeing him with mom in the family room.

We will miss him every day, but we are so grateful for every day that we had with this great man.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in Our Lady of the Visitation Parish, Saint Elizabeth Church, 350 Reedsdale Road, Milton, Saturday October 26 at 10:00 am. Relatives and friends invited. Visiting hours at the church, Friday 4-8 PM. Interment Milton Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to:

Tom ’55 and Mary Kenney Scholarship, Boston College High School, Office of Advancement, 150 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125 or Our Lady of the Visitation Parish Office, 29 St. Mary’s Road, Milton, MA 02186.