Welcome to our CaringBridge website. This site has been set up to pay tribute to our dad, John Kennedy Jr. who is currently at the Bright View community in Danvers, MA where he is receiving hospice care. John has had such impact on so many in the Lynnfield community and we’re receiving a tremendous amount of outreach, love and support! As you can imagine, we aren’t able to respond or update everyone individually. We’d like to use this site, first and foremost to enable you to share your memories, photos and love for John and to also provide updates for you as we can. We are so thankful for your support. Lisa and John
Now a little bit about our dad, John…. Here is a piece that was in the paper for his 80th birthday 4 years ago.
John moved to Lynnfield with his wife Rita and two young children Lisa and John in 1969 to take a position as Sales Manager with Simmons Realty. He quickly became active in the Lynnfield community being elected to the Lynnfield Charter Commission and as Vice Chairman of the Lynnfield United Fund.
In 1971 he became president of the Lynnfield Scholarship Foundation driving many fundraising activities. In 1973, he was appointed to the Low Income Housing for the Elderly Study Committee and joined the Cancer Crusade Cabinet.
In 1973, John made a move from Simmons Realty to join Northrup Associates as Executive Assistant, in 1976 he became the Vice President. He later bought the business from Norman Northrup and retained the name.
Through the years, John continued to be actively involved in local community leadership roles including serving on the Democratic Town Committee, President of the Lynnfield Rotary Club, including cooking thousands of chickens as part of the annual rotary chicken barbeque!
In 1982 he initiated the Lynnfield Rotary Club “Citizen of the Year” award. He served as the Greater Salem Board of Realtors vice president from 1984 through 1985.
In 1985, he was appointed by Governor Michael Dukakis to chair the MA state board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salesmen for a term of 5 years. His goal in accepting the appointment was to improve the way the public perceives the real estate industry and to increase the professionalism of brokers and salesmen. 1985 was a busy year as he also designated a PAUL HARRIS FELLOW, prestigious symbol of Rotary’s commitment to world harmony.
In 1989 he was appointed to the MA Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Board. Additionally, he received the Realtor of the Year Award by the Greater Salem Association of Realtors. In 1990 he was voted in as president of the Greater Salem Association of Realtors. Over the years he has been an avid Red Sox baseball fan and an active member of the BOSOX club.
John has been living at the Bright View community in Danvers for the past 4 years and has completely enjoyed it. It is no surprise that they have dubbed him “the Mayor” as he quickly got involved in the residence counsel and other activities. He’s made many friends of both the staff and fellow residents.
