In the late 1930's Fred was working at Delco. In his spare time he and a friend would DJ for dances at the YMCA, and that's how he and Dorothy met. They dated for four years. Besides dancing, they would go to various sporting events. He joined the Army, serving in WWII for four years. In late1942, he made use of a 3-day pass to come home and marry Dorothy at her parents' home on November 4th. The couple moved to Crewe, Virginia, for a while, then Fred was sent overseas, and Dorothy returned to Kokomo. Fred served in Mindanao, in the Philippine Islands with the Signal Company of the 31st Division, specializing in frequency modulated transceivers. In 1945, when communication with the Japanese was needed for the approaching surrender ceremonies, there was a difference in the radio frequencies used by the two sides. Fred's unit was asked if they could modify the crystals controlling the frequency of one of the transceivers made in Kokomo to match the frequency used by the Japanese. They did so successfully, and prepared the Kokomo product for dropping by parachute to the Japanese ship by putting it in a sturdy box and cushioning it with wadded-up Kokomo Tribune newspapers. So Kokomo ended up very well represented in the surrender ceremonies, with a transceiver made in Kokomo, modified by a soldier from Kokomo, and cushioned by the Kokomo Tribune!
After the war, Fred returned to Delco/Delphi. Dorothy taught school at Jefferson, Riley, and Wallace Schools, retired, and then proceeded to run a preschool. She and Fred have 2 children, Mark Kearney, of Kokomo, and Caroline, of Delaware, Ohio, and 4 grandchildren. Son Mark and grandson Matt are both Delco/Delphi employees, making three generations there. Dorothy has three sisters who have been married for more than 50 years, and Fred, one brother (who also remarried at the age of 85).
Their secret for success: "You get to know and love each other in many different ways. Companionship is important."
Fred B. Kearney, 1915 -
Dorothy (Touby) Kearney, 1917 -
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