Jon Campbell Kinnard II, 67, a lifelong resident of Franklin, died Monday, Jan. 17, after a long fight with cancer.
Loving, kind and generous-hearted, he was a husband, father and friend who brought a sense of fun to every encounter, even during many months of treatment.
He leaves behind Laura Daniels Kinnard, his wife of 37 years; their son, Jon Campbell Kinnard III, and his sister, Judith Cabot, of Massachusetts; a number of nieces and nephews; many close friends; and two beloved dogs.
Jon was born in 1954 to Claiborne and Ruth Kinnard and grew up on their farm in Franklin. Jon graduated from Battle Ground Academy and from Vanderbilt University. He then received a degree in architecture at the University of Tennessee.
He found his lifelong passion as an architect and developed a special skill in restoring old homes, primarily in Franklin, where many historic houses were available to showcase his work.
William Tyler Berry, a lifelong friend, knew him well.
“He was the most considerate, truly humble spirit,” Berry said. “He was naturally curious, had an engineer’s mind, was always figuring out how things worked. We shared that curiosity, but he sensed ahead of me how we were going to make whatever we were dreaming of.”
Jon was descended from generations of creative spirits. His grandfather, who built the Willow Plunge Swimming Pool into a mecca for the Southeast, was constantly tinkering in his workshop at the farm. His father, an illustrious fighter ace in World War II, developed the design for using pre-stressed concrete as a building material. His mother, a federal bankruptcy judge, helped establish the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County, ensuring the preservation of the lovely old Franklin homes that would later become a focus for Jon’s architectural and design work.
This began with Jon’s own home in Franklin, a log cabin and one of the oldest houses in town. He also did major restoration work on McEwen House, a Victorian mansion on Fair Street. He also served on the Franklin Downtown Neighborhood Association.
At the time of his death, he was designing a greenhouse planter using solar energy for lighting and featuring innovative removable parts to allow for great flexibility for homeowners or restaurants in the time of COVID-19.
His great passions were fishing, woodworking and carpentry. He was highly skilled at fly tying, as was his father before him. He was an avid reader, especially of mysteries, and a movie buff.
A celebration of his life will be held in the summer. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to GraceWorks Ministries in Franklin, the American Cancer Society or the Williamson County Animal Center.
An online Guestbook is available at www.crawfordservices.com.
CRAWFORD MORTUARY & CREMATORY, 615-254-8200
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