Former Kenny Family ShopRites of Delaware CEO Dead at 85
Bernard “Bernie” Francis Kenny Jr., patriarch of family-owned Kenny Family ShopRites of Delaware and a noted philanthropist, died Dec. 30 in his home at the age of 85, according to published reports. No cause of death was disclosed.
Born and raised in Elizabeth, N.J., Kenny joined the U.S. Army as a teenager, rising to the rank of master sergeant in the 101st Airborne before graduating from Airborne Ranger School. Well before that, at the tender age of 12, he started out in the grocery industry, helping string up livestock in a freezer for a local butcher. After his military service, he rose through the ranks at Pathmark, ultimately becoming a SVP at the now-defunct grocer. In 1995, however, he was recruited by Wakefern Food Corp. to purchase two Delaware ShopRite locations in Stanton and Brandywine Hundred.
The Wilmington-based company that Kenny formed now operates six locations in New Castle County and is among the largest independent grocery store chains in Delaware, with the Riverfront location the state’s biggest revenue-producing store.
“Not only did Bernie build a successful family-owned company committed to his associates, customers and community, he also played a key role as a member of our Wakefern family,” Wakefern Chairman Sean McMenamin told Delaware Business Times. “He served on our board of directors for nearly 20 years and worked on several Wakefern committees. He was a straight-talking store owner and operator who led by example and with a passion that we all will miss.”
Kenny ran the family business until 2012, when operations were taken over by his children. His son Chris is currently president and CEO.
As a philanthropist, Kenny founded the nonprofit Kenny Family Foundation in 2009, which he chaired until 2021. The foundation has donated several million dollars to hundreds of causes across the state. He also implemented job readiness programs, and ShopRite worked with Goodwill Industries to train hundreds of people for grocery positions.
On the personal side, Kenny and his wife of 59 years, Peggy, whom he met in a grocery store’s dairy department, had two two biological children and adopted four more. They also acted as foster parents in New Jersey and Delaware for 113 children between 1966 and 2019, and worked with the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services to provide mentor support and guidance for new foster families.
Survivors include Peggy; his brother, Richard; and his six children and their spouses, along with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A Christian burial mass for Kenny took place at St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Hockessin, Del., on Saturday, Jan. 6.
Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern comprises nearly 50 members that independently own and operate 360-plus supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Together with its member companies, Wakefern employs nearly 80,000 people. The company is No. 29 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
