Kennedy Smith

Kennedy Craig Smith, 41, of Chattanooga, left this earth for heaven, carried in the arms of his beloved Saints, on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. with his mother, brother, aunt and stepfather by his side.Kennedy will be remembered by his family and many friends for his brilliant mind, adventurous spirit, generous soul, and magical sense of humor. Kennedys imagination could take him anywhere, and it was this imagination, along with his faith and the love shown by his family and friends, that helped him fight against incredible odds to nearly conquer his illness. His family will forever be incredibly proud of the courage that Kennedy displayed in his final months.Kennedy was born on June 16, 1971, in Chattanooga. He grew up on Lookout Mountain, graduated from the Baylor School, and later attended Vanderbilt University on a merit scholarship, where he graduated magna cum laude in three years. Kennedy received his masters in accountancy from the University of Tennessee and later earned his certification as a Certified Public Accountant. He was employed by Arthur Andersen, starting as a Senior Auditor in Chattanooga and later being promoted to serve as a manager in the firms prestigious Professional Standards Group in Chicago. Kennedy subsequently returned home to Chattanooga, where Joseph Decosimo & Co. hired him to grow its advisory practice for publicly traded companies. More recently, Kennedy contributed to several Internet websites and blogs providing social and political commentary, which allowed him to share his tremendous creativity and unique worldview with hundreds of new friends and followers. Many of these people considered themselves great friends of Kennedy, despite never having met him in person, and he was deeply touched by all of their words of encouragement during his illness.Kennedy possessed an unrivaled intellect and a far-reaching curiosity. He had a great many interests, including politics, literature, history, travel, and horse racing. He was a lover of classical music and all things British. His breadth of knowledge and his ability to speak eloquently about such a wide range of subjects left most of us in awe. Kennedys unique, irreplaceable soul will be missed by all those who knew him.Kennedy will live on through his surviving family members, who include his mother, Eleanor Christensen Mahoney; father, Brian Campbell Smith; brother, Campbell Smith of Washington, D.C.; sister, Alexandra Smith: stepfather, Bo Mahoney; stepmother, Anita Smith; uncles, Alan "Oop" Smith and Peter Christensen; aunts, Ane Christensen, of St. John Newfoundland, Canada and Sally Christensen, of Evanston, Ill.; nephews, Hugh Campbell Smith and Campbell Montgomery Smith, of Washington, D.C.; godson and cousin McKelvey Packard, of Cleveland, Ohio; and cousins Christen Reynolds and Peter Reynolds, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; cousins, Jens Christensen, of Chattanooga, Rachel Christensen, of Tallahassee, Fla., Edith Packard, of Kaneohe, Hawaii, and Alice Packard, of Evanston, Ill.A memorial service to celebrate the joy and wonder of Kennedys life will be held at Our Lady of the Mount Catholic Church on Lookout Mountain at a later date to be announced.Arrangements are being made by Wann Funeral Home.