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Cullen Lee Kennedy, age 66, passed away peacefully on December 12, 2024, at his home in Oxford, Mississippi, surrounded by his loving family. He was born on January 25, 1958, in Magee, Mississippi, to the late Billy Ray Kennedy and Barbara Kent Maddox Kennedy of Magee, Mississippi.
Lee grew up in Magee, Mississippi, and graduated from Simpson County Academy in May 1976. He attended Hinds Community College and was a member of the tennis team before attending the University of Mississippi. He began working with the Magee Post Office in August 1979 and transferred to the Mendenhall Post Office, where he worked until 2001. After a year working at the Mail Distribution Center in Jackson, Mississippi, he transferred to the Oxford Post Office in August 2002 and retired in May 2015. In March 2017, he began working at Campus Mail at the University of Mississippi until October 2018, retiring for good after nearly 40 years of dedicated service.
He was married to his loving wife, Sandra, for more than 43 years. They had three children and raised their family in Mendenhall, Mississippi, surrounded by grandparents, extended family, and many great friends. They were faithful members of Mendenhall United Methodist Church, where Lee ran the sound system during Sunday morning services. When Lee and his family moved to Oxford, Mississippi, in June 2002, they attended Oxford-University United Methodist Church, where he became close with Reverend Warren Black.
Lee was an avid sports fan who enjoyed playing tennis and golf with childhood and adult friends. He enjoyed watching his children play sports as well as attending sporting events with them. His fondest sports memories are attending ballgames at Ole Miss and attending The Masters with his son, Jeremy. His greatest joy was being a husband, father, and grandfather, “Opie”, to his three exceptional grandchildren.
He is survived by his wife, Sandra; three children, Jeremy Kennedy (Carmen) of Oxford; Bethany Rogers (Hewitt) of Columbia, Tennessee; and Stephany Jones (Jay) of Oxford; three precious grandchildren, Mae Rogers, Brunson Rogers, and Owen Jones; a brother, Craig Kennedy (Lisa); an aunt, Linda Maddox; an uncle, John Maddox; a sister-in-law, Eva Lee Grayson Floyd (Glen); a sister-in-law, Glenda Grayson (Larry); and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, and wonderful friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Billy Ray Kennedy and Barbara Kent Maddox Kennedy; his sister, Susan Kennedy;his paternal grandparents, William Lafayette Kennedy and Lillie May Kennedy; his maternal grandparents, Cullen Maddox and Zera Thames Maddox; an uncle, Billy Thames Maddox; his in-laws, Lelon Lee Grayson and Eva Mae Welch Grayson; his brother-in-law, Larry Grayson; and a nephew, Steven Grayson.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, December 15, 2024, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at Tutor Funeral Home in Magee. Funeral will be held Monday, December 16, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at Tutor Funeral Home with a burial service at Garden of Memories in Oxford, Mississippi, at 3:00 p.m.
Arrangements are entrusted with Tutor Funeral Home of Magee.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to St. Jude Children’s Hospital or the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
MageeNews.com is the online news source for Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi.
