Navy veteran Kenneth Willis (Kenny) Boley, originally of Fort Smith, loved life in San Diego, CA after retiring from the Navy because of its wonderful climate. On September 27, 2022, Kenny passed from one paradise to the next after a courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his daughter Ashlea, of Springdale, AR, and three granddaughters Abigale, Elizabeth, and Bryn. Kenny is also survived by a twin sister, Jenny Waller and her husband Tom, also of Fort Smith. A friend for over fifteen years, Elayne Daniels and her daughter Gerri Canora and her husband Peter, all of San Diego, frequently visited and provided help for Kenny during his extended illness. They were like family to him.

Born in Fort Smith on December 25, 1944, Kenny graduated from Northside High School in 1963, and after a year at Westark Community College, he joined the U.S. Air Force and served for six years. He left the service honorably, then lived and worked in Dallas, TX and Pensacola, FL before entering the U.S. Navy in 1985. Kenny’s father, Ken Boley, also served in the Navy aboard the aircraft carriers U.S.S Lexington and Essex during World War II. His mother, Virginia Overstreet Boley, gave birth to twins Kenny and Jenny on Christmas Day while father Ken was away at sea. They were eleven months old before Ken saw them.

Kenny served honorably for sixteen years in the Navy, spending four years at sea on guided missile frigates as an Electronic Warfare specialist. He was so good at it that he was sent to the EW school at San Diego, CA, where he became a distinguished instructor and was promoted to Petty Officer 1. After his retirement from the Navy, he made San Diego, CA his home. 

Jenny and Tom would like to acknowledge and thank the medical staff of the Palliative Care Unit at the VA Medical Center, La Jolla, CA for the wonderful care they gave Kenny in the final days of his illness, and for their helpfulness to the family throughout.

Visitation with the family will be held in the Edwards Funeral Home Chapel on November 4, 2022 at 10:00 am, with a Memorial Service immediately following at 11:00 am, and a burial with honors service conducted at the Fort Smith National Cemetery at 12:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages contributions to local veterans’ organizations as Veterans Day approaches.