Jack Kenning Obituary

Jack Kenning

Jun 10, 1938 - Sep 17, 2025

Sandusky

Jack Kenning passed Wednesday, September 17, 2025, in Sandusky. He was born in 1938 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From the beginning, he carried with him the grit, humor, anger and heart of that great city. At Mount Lebanon High School, Jack was a two-sport star, the kind of athlete whose determination matched his natural talent. He went on to Muskingum College, where he competed in two sports and learned the value of teamwork - a lesson he carried into every part of his life.

If you knew Jack, you know that his proudest victories didn't happen on the field. They happened around the dinner table, in the backyard, on the shores of Lake Erie, anywhere his family gathered. For the last 50 years, he made Huron/Sandusky his home, turning it into a place where his children and grandchildren would always feel welcome.

Jack was a man of strong hands and a soft heart, a man who believed that the best way to show love was through action. He was devoted to his wife, Barbara Kenning, with whom he shared decades of laughter, partnership, and devotion. He was a proud father to Laurie (Scott) Echols, John (Kerri) Kenning, and Brandon (Lisa) Kenning. His children, grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren were his pride and joy, the living proof that his life's work was good and true.

He adored his brother, Scott, who currently lives in Pittsburgh.

If you spent time with Jack, you probably shared a meal with him, because to Jack, food was more than food; it was family. He loved the moments of rolling dough, spreading sauce, and making pizzas that brought everyone together. Those moments weren't just about dinner; they were about connection, about keeping family close, about passing something down that mattered.

Jack's heart, the very heart that carried him through 87 years of life, may have finally given out, but it never failed him in the ways that mattered most. It was a heart that worked hard, forgave freely, and loved deeply.

He was a simple man, with respect for tradition and an appreciation for life's simplest joys, a sunrise over Lake Erie, a game on TV, a full house on a Sunday afternoon. He believed that family was not just important, it was everything.

So today, even in our grief, we celebrate him. We celebrate the man who taught us what it means to work hard, to stay humble, to laugh often, and to love without condition.

John Charles Kenning, our Papa Jack, was more than a husband, a father, or a friend; he was the steady center of a family that will carry his legacy forward. His story doesn't end here. It lives in every pizza we share, every family gathering we host, every time we pause to be together and remember what truly matters.

Rest well, Jack. Your work here is done. You have left us stronger, closer, and forever grateful that we were yours.