Longtime Batavia employee dies following off-duty tree trimming accident

BATAVIA – The city of Batavia announced the death of longtime employee John Kennedy, who died July 14 from injuries he suffered in a tree-trimming accident, according to a news release and Kane County Coroner Rob Russell.

“He was ... cutting tree limbs on his property, fell and a tree branch fell on top of him,” Russell said in a text message. “Truly accidental.”

Kennedy 53, started working for Batavia in 1996 as a public works maintenance worker in the streets and engineering departments.

He was promoted to senior engineering assistant in 2006, according to the release.

“John’s coworkers were his friends and his friends were his coworkers,” City Administrator Laura Newman said in the release. “He was dedicated to assisting residents to solve the most difficult issues and lightened every occasion with his humor and smile. To say John will be missed does not even begin to express the loss we feel, and we offer our most sincere condolences to all of John’s family and friends.”

Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke remembered Kennedy as a man with “a kind spirit in his heart and a passion for the community.”

“John Kennedy was a friendly face in the community. John would go the extra mile to help others including senior citizens in the city,” Schielke said in the release. “On many occasions after working on a property, an elderly resident would tell him their railing was broken or their fence needed repair. He would come back after work and fix it on his own time.”

Funeral services are pending.