KENNEY, Charles E. *

Wickenburg (AZ) Sun Friday, December 16, 1960, p 1&9 Solemn Rites Held For Dr Kenney Who Died On His 101st Birthday When the entire community entertained Dr C E Kenney on his 100th birthday December 10, 1959, with a big party in Sols Wash Park, he was asked of he had a birthday wish. He did. It was to live to see his 101st birthday. Dr Kenney got his wish. It was at 3:15am last Saturday, his 101st birthday, when he died in the Maricopa County General Hospital where he had been taken the week before when he became ill with pneumonia. Just as the community as a whole sponsored his 100th birthday, the community came to his aid on the occasion of his death. Friends got together and arranged for the body to be returned to Wickenburg. They saw to it that he was well dressed and had a nice coffin and a choice burial spot in the Wickenburg Cemetery. They asked for the Rev Dean McMann, vicar of St Alban's Episcopal Church, to conduct the last rites. And they attended those rites at 2pm Tuesday of this week in the Wickenburg Chapel to honor their respected friend and to pay tribute to the only resident of the town ever to live past the century mark. Serving as pallbearers were six friends of long standing: A T Lawson, Gene Moore, Robert Wentworth, George Wentworth, R L Westall and Nick Oberan. Dr Kenney was born in Tiffin, O., December 10, 1859, of farmer parents. He attended the J W McFadden Medical School in St Louis, an affiliate of St Louis University, and received his medical degree. Then, at the age of 24, he came to Arizona intending to practice medicine. He went first to Fort Verde (now Camp Verde) where he lived with the soldiers and enjoyed that life so much that he never did get around to practicing medicine. He moved to Fort McDowell, staying again with soldiers, and then went to the Salt River Valley where he acquired a farm and helped build some of the original irrigation ditches. He farmed in the valley for 50 years. In 1883, while still farming, he walked from Phoenix to Prescott and on that trip found gold in the Buckhorn District in the Castle Creek area. He worked this vein for 20-odd years while still farming part time in the valley. It was on that 1883 walk that he first visited Wickenburg. In his later years, Dr Kenney was a prospector. Then 8 years ago he retired and moved to Wickenburg. He lived in a small trailer on the property of Mr & Mrs Montie Rumsower at the corner of North Jefferson and Mohave Streets. Surviving are several nephews and nieces, the only one known here being Fred V Kelsay of Bakersfield, Calif., the son of Dr Kenney's late sister. ~~~~~~~~~ Wickenburg (AZ) Sun Friday, December 23, 1960, p 9 Funds Are Needed To Finance Rites And Grave Marker For Dr Kenney Dr C E Kenney, Wickenburg's oldest resident who died last Saturday on his 101st birthday, was buried on faith--faith that the community would come to his aid financially so that his funeral would be one benefitting his standing in the community as a respected gentleman and as the only resident ever to pass the century mark in age. For many years Dr Kenney was on welfare and received $80 per month. That took care of his simple needs of food, clothing and space for his tiny trailer home. Of course the county would have buried him. But his friends could not see such a finale to such a rich life. They felt that Dr Kenney deserved more. And they feel that now that final tributes have been paid in funeral rites, there is still a goal to achieve--the erection of a suitable grave marker. For that reason an appeal has gone out for funds. The Rev Dean McMann, vicar of St Albans Episcopal Church, Wickenburg, is in charge of the fund. If there are those who wish to contribute, they are asked to send money or checks to the Rev McMann.