Justin Miles Kenny
KENNY, JUSTIN MILES, born October 6, 1977 in Fayette, Ala., died July 9, 2005 in Duncannon, Pa., in an accident while hiking the Appalachian Trail. That small town of his passing, coincidentally, was the site of his paternal great-grandfather’s first job in America (as a lumberjack) in the early 20th century as an immigrant from Lithuania. A lifelong adventurer, Kenny took on the famous A.T. as a summer project and was about 1,000 miles along when his remarkable life was cut short. A gifted songwriter, musician and singer, Kenny played bass and lead guitar in several bands in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham before forming his own ensemble he named Separate Species. Although largely self taught, Kenny studied music at Shelton State, particularly singing under Glinda Blackshear, and sang with the Shelton Singers. Also a health and fitness enthusiast, he earned a wellness personal trainer certificate at Shelton in 2000. Justin seemed driven to experience as much of life as he could, which led him to work on a sheep farm near the arctic circle in Norway when he was 18, to hitchhike across the country, to canoe with a friend down the Cahaba to the Alabama River and many other adventures. Justin leaves as a legacy scores (if not hundreds) of beautiful ballads composed during the last 10 years of his life. His prolific songwriting began in Las Vegas where he was known to create as many as three complete songs (during and after working the night shift at the airport) with ingenious rhyming lyrics and original music. A dynamic, big-hearted poet-athlete, Justin seemed to know his candle would not burn very long, so he made sure it burned so brightly. Justin M. Kenny is survived by his fiancée Emily Delzell of Birmingham, by his mother Carla Shelton of the Liberty Community near Ethelsville, by his father and step-mother James M. and Julie Kenny of Tuscaloosa, by his brother Dylan Kenny of Liberty, by his maternal grandparents Carl and Nellie Shelton of Liberty and his paternal grandmother Joan Kenny of Sterling Heights, Mich. Justin’s family, including his uncles from Michigan and California, will receive visitors at the Dowdle Funeral Home in Millport, Ala. on Wednesday from 2-3 p.m. A memorial service will be held at the funeral home and burial will follow immediately on a hilly spot in the family plot under the stars at Andrews Chapel in Liberty.
Justin’s family has requested that in lieu of flowers that hiker friends might write a little about Justin, his adventures on the AT, a story they recall from hiking with him, etc… They would also like to collect pictures of Justin on the trail this year. If anyone would like to make a contribution to this memory project for his family you can send things to me at
and I will be responsible for getting them to his family. Please pass this on to other hikers that met and hiked with Justin. Take care of each other.
Miss Janet