Kenneth A. Forsythe, 94 of Middletown, RI passed away peacefully on April 16, 2026, in Newport, RI after a brief illness. Born in Newport, RI on July 28, 1931, Kenneth was the son of the late John Robert Forsythe and Helen Ida Jollie Forsythe.
He is preceded in death by the love of his life, his wife of 72 years, Mary Louise Ripa Forsythe, his daughter-in-law, Christine Forsythe and all 10 of his siblings.
Kenneth is survived by his children, Kenneth A. Forsythe, Jr. and his partner Pam, Jeffery M. Forsythe and his wife Debbie, Dean R. Forsythe and his wife Elaine and Lisa L. Forsythe Marcello and her husband Joe; his grandchildren Kenneth III (Jen), Douglas (Nicole), Jameson (Erica), Lauren (Terrell), Dean Jr., Rebecca, James, Alicia and Michael, and his great grandchildren, Kenneth IV aka Austin, Dakota, Marley, Rani, Jackson, Leo, Duke, Gus, Marshall, Samuel, Abigail, Paxton, and John IV. He also leaves his sisters-in-law, Anne Desnoyers, Janine Durant and Rosemary Milburn and his brother-in-law Jack Milburn. Due to his wit and amusing personality, he was known as Crazy Uncle Kenny to many nieces and nephews.
He worked many jobs throughout his life. In the 1950s he served as a SGT in the National Guard. His primary occupation was as a bus driver for the Short Line, which later became Bonanza Bus Lines. So liked by patrons, he was often asked for by name to drive their tour bus for groups that frequently traveled with Bonanza. After retiring he went to work for Viking Tours of Newport and then as a driver for Toyota. Kenneth also worked as a part-time Police Officer for Middletown and Portsmouth as well as a Security Guard at Newport Jai Alai.
Kenneth was very proud of his home and enjoyed working in his yard, especially mowing his lawn with his “tractor.” Over the years he owned many tractors and made sure that family members and friends had their photos taken with them. He was also proud of his baseball hat collection which totaled well over 100!
Kenneth was a fun-loving man who was loved and respected by many. On his 90th birthday, the family held a celebration for him in his yard which included close to 100 family members and friends. He personally sent thank you cards, bearing his picture taken on that day, to each attendee. Always a gentleman, he made sure to say, “thank you.” Even through his final days, he would thank the doctors and nurses at the Newport Hospital after taking his vitals or giving him his medication. On that note, our family wants to express our sincere gratitude and thanks to the doctors and nursing staff at Newport Hospital for the care and love they showed our dad during his final journey. Words cannot describe how thankful we are.
A Celebration of Life and Church Service will be held on Saturday, May 30th at 1:00 pm at Calvary United Methodist Church, 200 Turner Rd, Middletown.
Memorial donations may be made to the organization of your choice.
