Hardin County lost a great sports editor.
Theo and Cam lost a great father.
I lost a great friend.
Kendrick Jesionowsk, who covered sports for the Kenton Times for more than two decades, died in an accident May 7 and it is a life taken too soon from a man who had so much to offer.
I first met Kendrick back in 2000 when he joined the Kenton Times staff. I was doing news back then for them and let’s just say we did not see eye-to-eye on a lot of things.
If you knew Kendrick, he was a man of strong conviction and standards and we often clashed over opinions and ideas and other stuff that seems so petty at the time when you really think about it.
But as we worked more together we both gained a mutual respect for each other and it soon became a friendship as we bonded covering sports and news, fantasy sports and life.
We may not have agreed on everything but we also realized that individuals may have differences of opinions and still be great friends.
Kendrick tended to pretend he didn’t have a clue what was going on, but he knew exactly what was happening and at times individuals underestimated his intelligence.
He soon became the sports editor of the Kenton Times and I moved on to work at Ohio Northern University, but because I knew he didn’t have much help covering Hardin County sports, I wrote for him on the side for the next 12 years and I always enjoyed it.
Kendrick cared about covering the Hardin County schools and he wanted to make sure the teams and the athletes got the accolades and attention they deserved.
I found that out firsthand this past weekend when I went to cover the Northwest Central Conference track and field championships and ran into several coaches and colleagues who all were in shock and who all said the same thing, “Kendrick will be missed.”
Like most who cover sports in northwest Ohio, it is tough to balance a family life and covering sports, but he did an admirable job and always made time for his sons.
An example of his generosity came when I needed a place to stay recently and he graciously invited me to stay with him. In the nine months I lived with Kendrick I got the opportunity to understand him even more, even though I had known him for almost two decades.
When I was his guest at the Moose Lodge for a bite to eat or some beers, he was greeted like he was Norm from Cheers. Everyone seemed to know his name and there was always a smile and good conversation to be had.
Sure, I knew how dedicated he was to his job and his family, but you gain that insight that only can be experienced firsthand. He fretted over his job and his sons and always tried to make time when he could for his two boys and took them with him when time allowed and attended their events when time permitted.
Hardin County lost a great sports voice and a great community man.
Cam and Theo lost a great father who was proud of all their accomplishments and achievements.
I lost a great friend who I, like a lot of people, will miss.
Rest in peace, my friend.
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
