Obituary of Matthew James McKenna

Matthew James McKenna of Kingston, aged 85 yrs., entered into eternal life on June, 28th, 2010 at the Jordan Hospital in Plymouth. A man of constant sacrifice, Matthew began his adult life in the service of his country becoming an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Coast Guard; he served on merchant vessels, sailing in every combat zone of WWII. His wife of fifty years, Elizabeth Mary (nee Murphy) was a constant companion and saw him through his final bout with cancer. Matthew and Elizabeth (Betty) had five children, all happy and successful and extremely grateful for the love and training afforded them by their father. Matthew’s proudest achievement was his advocacy for children’s rights especially in the fight against abortion. He saw the fight for the unborn as part of his duty as a Catholic gentleman. Matthew felt that the weak and vulnerable should always have a voice and becoming a pioneer in that endeavor, he helped to form and promote pro-life activism in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade in the early 1970’s. Matthew was also a careful observer of politics and was as much concerned with the course of America as he was with the unification of Ireland’s 32 counties. From his Irish roots he gave his family a love of scholarship, humor, faith, music, horses, sports, travel and adventure. He saw life as the greatest gift of a loving God and should be lived to its fullest. At the end of his life he owned a horse ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico and brought hunter/jumper horses to America from Ireland. Matthew was an operatic tenor and could sing everything from Danny Boy to Italian opera and offered his voice at funerals, weddings and would sing the Star Spangled Banner on countless occasions at patriotic events. Most of all though was his love of family. He was tireless in searching out those things that would benefit his children and he was very proud of the education they received under his care and the proper preparation for lives of good citizenship. Matthew is survived by sons John, James and Matthew Jr. and daughters Elizabeth Mary and Mary Anne, loving granddaughter Maeve and grandsons Owen, Eamonn, Kevin and Matthew. Funeral from the Shepherd Funeral Home 216 Main St. (Rte 106) Kingston at 9am Friday July 2nd followed by a funeral Mass at Holy Family Church Duxbury at 10am. Interment in the MA National Cemetery, Bourne. Visiting hours Thursday July 1st from 4-8pm. Vaya Con Dios Pop! Have some ponies saddled and we’ll meet you on the other side and together we’ll all ride into the light!