Community mourns loss of Kinard
Red Oak community members are remembering the legacy of Rudy Kinard.
Kinard, who recently joined the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors as its District One representative, passed away on Sept. 12.
Kinard was born in Columbus, Ga., and after graduating high school began a sports career that started with the Volunteers at the University of Tennessee. After college, he started a professional career in baseball with the Cardinals, Expos, Rangers and eventually the Royals organizations.
Kinard retired from sports in 1979, and lived in Atlanta where he coached and played competitive tennis before moving to the Red Oak community in 1998. He worked at CDS and the Montgomery County Family YMCA, where he was a tennis coach. When Steve Ratcliffe announced he would not seek re-election to the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, Kinard ran for the nomination, and was later elected to fill Ratcliff’s seat.
Supervisors Chair Donna Robinson said she and the other board members greatly enjoyed working with Kinard.
“Rudy was a joy to work with. He took his position seriously and spent lots of time learning about the responsibility of being a supervisor,” Robinson said.
One of the things Robinson said stood out about Kinard was his great sense of humor.
“His quick wit kept us on our toes, and he will be greatly missed,” commented Robinson.
Red Oak city administrator Brad Wright also spoke about the loss of Kinard to the Red Oak community.
“Rudy was loved and respected by all who truly knew him. He will be remembered for his involvement in many things throughout the community and his love for Red Oak. His faith in God, his willingness to share that faith, and his willingness to be there for others was a gift to so many,” commented Wright.
YMCA executive director John Blomstedt said he first met Kinard after he and his wife moved to Red Oak in August 1987, when she accepted a teaching position at the high school. Blomstedt said he was invited by Randy Spangenberg to play in a softball tournament in Essex that Labor Day weekend. Spangenberg’s other passenger was Kinard.
“He looked strangely familiar to me as I grew up in the Omaha area and attended many Omaha Royals game. I asked him if he had played for the Royals and he replied yes. I then put my foot in my mouth by replying that I remembered watching him play when I was in high school. Rudy turned around and gave me a look that said he wasn’t really that much older than me,” said Blomstedt. Over the years, I would kid with him about that first meeting anytime we talked about growing older. It was a pleasure getting to know Rudy and his family as time passed as his son, Chase, was a year older than my son J.C., and his daughter Maci played high school tennis with my older daughter Arryn.”
Kinard started teaching private lessons at the YMCA in 2005 and added teaching youth and adult group lessons during the school year shortly thereafter. He eventually took over the Summer Youth program.
“My oldest daughter Arryn credited Rudy with helping her and her doubles partner, Brittany Browning, reach the state individual tennis tournament for three consecutive years by helping them understand the intricacies of playing doubles. Rudy not only built up a following among the youth in our community with his tennis lessons but also with high school players from Atlantic, Creston, Clarinda, Glenwood, Harlan, and Shenandoah,” Blonstedt explained.
He taught lessons through the summer of 2019, when he told Blomstedt that he was feeling worn out and wished to take a break from lessons.
“I held out hope that he would come back and teach lessons school year or lead the summer program. Many of the parents whose children took lessons from him would call me up and ask if he was coming back. He turned out to be a great mentor to Micayla Taylor, who assisted him for 3 years and led our summer program this year,” Blomstedt advised.
He added that Kinard was always willing to share his expertise with anyone, and always was good-natured. Blomstedt came to consider Kinard a friend, and they shared many experiences.
“One of them was the joy he experienced of becoming a grandfather. One conversation that sticks out in my mind was from about five years ago when I was lamenting not being a grandfather and he said that he didn’t become one until he was 65, so I had 10 years to go before I should start worrying,” Blomstedt said. “I regret that I never took the opportunity to tell him the joy I felt when my first grandchild was born in May. I always enjoyed visiting with him about college football, he was a passionate Georgia Bulldog fan, baseball, tennis and how our faith shaped our view of life.”
When Kinard was diagnosed with leukemia back in December, Blomstedt said it was a shock to the entire Y family.
“The Y, with the help of others in the community, was able to do a fundraiser for him at the end of January to help with the expenses facing the family. I had the opportunity to see him at home in February and he had his big smile as he waved to me from across the room. I know at the Y; we will all miss that smile and the cowboy hat he wore when he came to do lessons,” commented Blomstedt.