Kenneth V. St. Pierre, Jr.

Kenneth Vincent St. Pierre Jr., 58, of Danvers, ended his courageous battle with brain cancer in peace on Friday, November 19, 2010. He was surrounded by his family and friends at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers. He was born in Chelsea, MA on July 22, 1952, and was raised in Danvers by his parents, Alice (Tarnowski) St. Pierre of Danvers and the late Kenneth St. Pierre. He attended Danvers High School, where he met his high school sweetheart and beloved wife of 38 years, Margaret "Peggy" (Toomey) St. Pierre. Ken was an amazing athlete. At 15, he played in the Danvers Twi League with his father, earning the Triple Crown. He was a shining star of the Danvers Falcons on the football and baseball teams. On the gridiron, he served as team captain and set the Danvers High all-time rushing record. He remains #2 all-time today. Behind the plate, he helped lead the baseball team to the 1970 State Championship. Ken was the inaugural inductee to the Blue & White Hall of Fame. He attended the University of Indiana, where he continued to play both sports. He started in the Hoosier backfield for two years, setting a sophomore rushing record in his first year. The National Baseball Coaches Association selected him to be the catcher for the Division I All-American first-team in 1974. After leaving Indiana in 1974, he played professional baseball for the Chicago White Sox organization before returning to Danvers with Peggy to start a family. Together, they raised three loving children – Janelle Moroney of Danvers, Kenneth St. Pierre III of San Diego, CA, and Jacqueline Blake of Hoboken, NJ. Ken was an avid sportsman throughout his life, enjoying golf at Ferncroft and many other golf courses throughout New England. He had a passion for deer hunting that turned into a passion for “looking for deer” out in the field by his house, which he loved to do with his chocolate labs: the late Cujo, and later Brady and Maggie. His favorite pastime though was always spending time with his wife, children, and their families. In recent years, he co-founded the “Knucklehead Club” with his grandson, Michael Moroney Jr. of Danvers, and distinguished himself as a proud “Poppa Bear” to Michael and his adoring granddaughters, Vivian Blake of Hoboken, NJ and Kyla Moroney of Danvers. Ken was a career restauranteur / lounge owner on the North Shore. His years owning the Office Lounge in Danvers Square, Saints in Salem, and most recently Seaquels in Danvers were highlighted by laughter with friends and many successful charity fundraisers. His penchant for making moments memorable helped make golf tournaments, corn-eating contests, and the annual snowball tournament a rousing financial success for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Danvers High sports teams, and various scholarship funds and families in need. Ken’s desire to help those in need manifested itself outside of his restaurant work as well. There is no greater demonstration of that fact than his decision to donate one of his kidneys to a sick friend several years ago. In addition to his mother, children, and grandchildren, he is survived by: his three brothers - Stephen, Theodore, and Lloyd “Duke”, of Danvers; five sisters - Robin Diachisin of Peabody, Nancy Rezza of Peabody, Cindy Milbury of Danvers, Patricia King of Peabody, and Michelle Sweeney of Danvers; his sons-in-law Michael Moroney of Danvers and Theodore Blake of Hoboken, NJ; his mother-in-law Mary (Dunn) Toomey of Danvers; 35 nieces and nephews; 19 great nieces and nephews; and many sister and brother in-laws as well as many friends. His Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 11AM in Saint Mary of the Annunciation Church, 24 Conant St., Danvers. Burial will follow in Annunciation Cemetery, Danvers. Relatives and friends are invited. Visiting hours are Monday from 4-8PM in C.R. Lyons & Sons, Funeral Directors, 28 Elm St., Danvers Square. In lieu of flowers, donations in Ken's memory may be made to the Jimmy Fund/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 10 Brookline Place West, 6th floor, Brookline, MA 02445-7226 ATTN: Contribution Services.