Lonnie Kennedy - Umnak Island, Alaska

It is with genuine sorrow that I write tonight about the passing of someone I’ve considered a good friend from the first day I ever met him.  One of the most amazing and interesting things I”ve seen since moving out here to Unalaska / Dutch Harbor was the random arrival and departures of the the Kennedy family who ranch cattle out on Umnak Island about 80 miles south of us and further out in the Aleutian Chain.  They would show up flying Robinson R22 and R44 helicopters and land in vacant fields or next to the hotel, conduct business and then fly back out to the ranch.

I met Lonnie shortly after I arrived here.  Offering to help with finding rooms for him and his family or fence builders and other crew coming to or from the island.  I got to spend a fair amount of time with him when he and his family would visit or stay over night in transit and never never once had he a bad thing to say about anyone or anything.  He was a family man, a believer in respect and faith, hard working, honest funny and down right genuine.

Lonnie Checks On Me Near Station Bay & Chernofski

Lonnie died today in a crash while flying near Chernofski on Unalaska Island.  The details are still vague and after talking with his son here in town, even he doesn’t know what exactly happened yet.

The few photos posted here were taken during my trek across Unalaska Island in September of 2009, he made a point of flying my route every few days to make sure I was alive and well and the other is a recent but undated photo of him near the Okmok Volcano on Umnak Island.

Lonnie would email me weekly forwarding jokes and links on the internet, he would ask about weather and what I was doing or if I was still planning on hiking the length of the island again.  At the end of each email he would always sign it ‘Your Friend On Umnak ~ Lonnie‘  Every time he came to town I would get a call from him minutes after landing just  saying hello and to check out what was going on.  If he was staying over night we would often have a beer or two and tell tall tales at the bar.  If he was just in for the day we would get breakfast or lunch  just before he left to fly back out to the ranch.

Lonnie Checks On Me Near Station Bay & Chernofski

Today was such a day.  This morning my friend Reid and I were out in Unalaska Bay fishing, I heard the unmistakable sound of the helicopters making their way through Captains Bay towards the airport.  I called him on channel 18 to say hello and to see what was going on.  He said they were picking up groceries and supplies.  Specifically Jalapenos to make cream cheese stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon.

I told him I’d meet him for lunch after he was done shopping and we were done fishing.  Sure enough we met up a few hours later at the grill, Lonnie, Josh his new son in law and I had lunch, told stories, laughed, shook hands and said goodbye.  I didn’t know that would be so final.

I’m happy to have called him a friend, I’m happy I shook his hand before he left today and I regret that I’ll never get another call or email from him saying hello or checking in.

So Lonnie, goodbye.  Your Friend On Unalaska ~ Dan.