by Jen Myers
In December 2018, Ed Kennedy asked me to meet him at the “Cobblestones Lounge” where we drank Diet Coke and he asked me to go to Beacon Hill with him in January as his Communications Director. In July 2021, he asked me to meet him “behind Sears” so we could check out the construction of the Connector Trail and the amazing graffiti art gallery there.
Sears closed in 1986.
Ed had a knack for making everything feel like it was still 1978, but in a charming, quirky way, not in a “this guy is out of touch” kind of way.
He was a master storyteller; an outdoors adventurer; a lover of history, random trivia, and music (especially the Rolling Stones and MOST especially Charlie Watts); a champion of the underdog; a very proud “Gramps”; and a collector of misfit toys.
I first met Ed when he made his comeback to the Lowell City Council, running in 2011. He wasn’t really my cup of tea at that time, and I mentally put in him my “nah” category.
I later learned that Ed Kennedy could not be labeled or put into any of the usual, easy to categorize Lowell political buckets or tribes. He was a bit of a unicorn, with friends and interests across the spectrum. As the years went on, I was pleasantly surprised to discover how progressive his views were on a multitude of issues.
I got to know him better in 2017, as he led the fight to keep Lowell High School where it belongs. I saw a guy who went all-in when he was passionate about something and for the most part shook off the haters. He was good at trying (not always successfully) to get some of us less easy-going folks to let things go and just keep sight of the goal.
What I and I know many others will miss about Ed are the stories. He knew all of the important players in Lowell from the 1970’s to today and had a story or six about pretty much everyone. It was inevitable that a three-minute phone call about a bill or an event would evolve into a 45-minute storytelling session about the failed Route 213 project, Joe Tully, Bill Taupier, Marty Meehan, or “Wolfie.” As a lover of Lowell political history, I loved hearing all of these inside stories.
And there were always trivia bits to be shared. When I sent him a text giving him a heads up about the Roberto Clemente Baseball League’s opening day in 2018, he sent me this: “In the history of major league baseball in the U.S. only one player has ever hit a walk-off-in-the-park grand slam home run. That player was Roberto Clemente, whose full name was Roberto Clemente Walker.”
And when it came to modern times – he loved to gossip (Lowell’s great pastime) like a teenage girl about Lowell politics and all of the crazy characters involved. He was quick-witted and had a great sense of humor. There was nothing better than when you could catch him off-guard with a funny observation or joke and make him really laugh – he had a contagious guttural guffaw. And nothing funnier than when he’d pepper a story with a “whoa, baby!”
A lot has been written in recent days about his policy interests – arts and culture, the environment, education, economic development, and others, but what made him a truly great public servant was his wonderful curiosity, empathy, and humanity. He loved to learn about people and their stories and find ways to make their lives better.
There were many times during the two-and-a-half years I worked for Ed that I was honored to call him “boss,” but many more -then and now – that I’m honored to call him “friend.”
He will be very much missed.
All are welcome to attend Edward Kennedy’s Calling Hours on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, from 3 pm until 7 pm, at the McDonough Funeral Home, 14 Highland Street, LOWELL, MA 01852. His Funeral will begin on Wednesday, at the funeral home, at 10 am. His funeral Mass will take place at 11 am at the Immaculate Conception Church, 144 East Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA, followed by procession for Burial at Saint Patrick Cemetery. McDonough Funeral Home www.McDonoughFuneralHome.com
