Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Calls outside of office hours? No worries! Our team will respond within 10–15 minutes.
October 26, 2018
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, October 28, 2018 from 2-6 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Monday, October 29, 2018 at 9:30 AM from the funeral home, then to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne where at 10:30 AM, a Funeral Mass will be offered.
Kevin James Hess, age 30, of the Packanack Lake section of Wayne, has passed away all too soon. Kevin leaves behind a grieving extended family and numerous friends with whom he shared an active, loving life with many beautiful memories. Kevin wanted to be good, live a good life, and do well. Like too many before him, and after his own tireless fight, Kevin ultimately succumbed to the terrible affliction of substance addiction.
Kevin was born in Ridgewood and raised in Packanack Lake. From the time he was just a little kid, he took a great liking to sports of all kinds. He was skiing by the age of five and for Kevin and the rest of his family, the best place to ski was at Sugarbush, Vermont. The family has many great memories from summer and winter trips there. Kevin was also a student and athlete at DePaul Catholic High School. He excelled in soccer, ice hockey and lacrosse. He graduated with the Class of 2006 and after graduation attended St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.
Kevin had a huge personality and the boundless energy to go along with it. His family meant the world to him and he enjoyed many memorable family trips including Hawaii, the Caribbean and California. The summertime trips to Stowe and Sugarbush Vermont held favorite pastime destinations to play golf and go mountain biking. Sometimes when the weather was right family jaunts to one of the local swimming holes was a perfect wrap to the active days. Kevin delighted in fearlessly climbing the rocks and cliffs and jumping into the pools below. He also spent good times at the ocean down the Jersey shore in Manasquan and on the south shore beaches of Long Island.
If you asked those that knew him how they would describe Kevin, you would hear words like, “charming”, “high energy” and “he had a great smile!” And all those things were true. In some ways, Kevin was larger than life. He was fun to be around because he just made life interesting. His family meant the world to him and he loved to live life with them. He delighted in the times spent with his little nephew and niece, Luke and Penelope. They couldn’t have asked for a more loving uncle, happy to get down on the floor to play with them with their toys. And he could spoil them too, bringing them gifts – one of the best being the “Hess” trucks that he gave them at Christmastime.
Kevin was also a very giving person, and he combined his God-given charm and beautiful smile with his high energy to get to know and encourage others that he met along the way. Even as he was battling substance addiction, Kevin poured boundless and determined energy into helping others who lived with the same struggles. One way he did this was by training and running in the 2015 New York City Marathon. Kevin ran and raised $5,000 in all which he gave to the Caron Treatment Center – an organization that describes itself as “pushing the boundaries of innovative addiction treatment to provide those struggling with addiction a lifetime of uncompromising care.” Having received care from this organization himself, his heart was so touched that he just wanted to give back. His family teased him about his questionable marathon training methods, but the bottom line was that he finished the race having run all 26+ miles. Many of his family members came to cheer him on. Kevin’s sister Katie held up a poster with pictures of his niece and nephew because he loved them so very much and she know that this would encourage him as he ran by. His mom took a taxi cab three times to see him in three different locations along the marathon’s route.
Despite his struggles, Kevin’s acute sensitivity to the feelings of those he served made him very effective and successful in those compassionate endeavors. A couple of his most meaningful experiences included working one summer at a camp for kids with special needs. He also very much enjoyed the two years that he worked for Serenity Sober Living in New York City as a Sober Companion, simply loving on those with struggles and helping them through the daily challenges they faced.
Kevin is survived by his dear parents Stephen and Jeanne Hess of Wayne; his much-loved sister Katie and husband Scott Schnipper of Ridgewood; his loving paternal grandparents Walter and Paula Hess of Pompton Plains; his loving maternal grandmother Marjorie Kayser of Bayshore, NY; his cherished nephew and niece Luke Henry and Penelope Rose Schnipper; many loving aunts and uncles including: Alice and husband Roddy Donnelly, Chris and wife Sandy Hess, Joe and wife Lisa Hess, Mary and husband Art Livingston, David and wife Dana Hess, Liza and husband Joe Grainda, Paula and husband Joe Faustini, Chris and wife Cheryl Kayser, and Theressa and husband Rick Moran; and his 25 dear cousins. He was predeceased by his brother Stephen W. Hess, Jr. in 1992 and his maternal grandfather James Kayser in 2016.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Kevin’s name are asked to consider the Richard J. Caron Foundation, P.O. Box 150, Wernersville, PA 19565, or online at www.caron.org/donate
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, October 28, 2018 from 2-6 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Monday, October 29, 2018 at 9:30 AM from the funeral home, then to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne where at 10:30 AM, a Funeral Mass will be offered.
October 26, 2018
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, October 28, 2018 from 2-6 PM.
Funeral Services will be held on Monday, October 29, 2018 at 9:30 AM from the funeral home, then to Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 580 Ratzer Road, Wayne where at 10:30 AM, a Funeral Mass will be offered.
Kevin James Hess, age 30, of the Packanack Lake section of Wayne, has passed away all too soon. Kevin leaves behind a grieving extended family and numerous friends with whom he shared an active, loving life with many beautiful memories. Kevin wanted to be good, live a good life, and do well. Like too many before him, and after his own tireless fight, Kevin ultimately succumbed to the terrible affliction of substance addiction.
Kevin was born in Ridgewood and raised in Packanack Lake. From the time he was just a little kid, he took a great liking to sports of all kinds. He was skiing by the age of five and for Kevin and the rest of his family, the best place to ski was at Sugarbush, Vermont. The family has many great memories from summer and winter trips there. Kevin was also a student and athlete at DePaul Catholic High School. He excelled in soccer, ice hockey and lacrosse. He graduated with the Class of 2006 and after graduation attended St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.
Kevin had a huge personality and the boundless energy to go along with it. His family meant the world to him and he enjoyed many memorable family trips including Hawaii, the Caribbean and California. The summertime trips to Stowe and Sugarbush Vermont held favorite pastime destinations to play golf and go mountain biking. Sometimes when the weather was right family jaunts to one of the local swimming holes was a perfect wrap to the active days. Kevin delighted in fearlessly climbing the rocks and cliffs and jumping into the pools below. He also spent good times at the ocean down the Jersey shore in Manasquan and on the south shore beaches of Long Island.
If you asked those that knew him how they would describe Kevin, you would hear words like, “charming”, “high energy” and “he had a great smile!” And all those things were true. In some ways, Kevin was larger than life. He was fun to be around because he just made life interesting. His family meant the world to him and he loved to live life with them. He delighted in the times spent with his little nephew and niece, Luke and Penelope. They couldn’t have asked for a more loving uncle, happy to get down on the floor to play with them with their toys. And he could spoil them too, bringing them gifts – one of the best being the “Hess” trucks that he gave them at Christmastime.
Kevin was also a very giving person, and he combined his God-given charm and beautiful smile with his high energy to get to know and encourage others that he met along the way. Even as he was battling substance addiction, Kevin poured boundless and determined energy into helping others who lived with the same struggles. One way he did this was by training and running in the 2015 New York City Marathon. Kevin ran and raised $5,000 in all which he gave to the Caron Treatment Center – an organization that describes itself as “pushing the boundaries of innovative addiction treatment to provide those struggling with addiction a lifetime of uncompromising care.” Having received care from this organization himself, his heart was so touched that he just wanted to give back. His family teased him about his questionable marathon training methods, but the bottom line was that he finished the race having run all 26+ miles. Many of his family members came to cheer him on. Kevin’s sister Katie held up a poster with pictures of his niece and nephew because he loved them so very much and she know that this would encourage him as he ran by. His mom took a taxi cab three times to see him in three different locations along the marathon’s route.
Despite his struggles, Kevin’s acute sensitivity to the feelings of those he served made him very effective and successful in those compassionate endeavors. A couple of his most meaningful experiences included working one summer at a camp for kids with special needs. He also very much enjoyed the two years that he worked for Serenity Sober Living in New York City as a Sober Companion, simply loving on those with struggles and helping them through the daily challenges they faced.
Kevin is survived by his dear parents Stephen and Jeanne Hess of Wayne; his much-loved sister Katie and husband Scott Schnipper of Ridgewood; his loving paternal grandparents Walter and Paula Hess of Pompton Plains; his loving maternal grandmother Marjorie Kayser of Bayshore, NY; his cherished nephew and niece Luke Henry and Penelope Rose Schnipper; many loving aunts and uncles including: Alice and husband Roddy Donnelly, Chris and wife Sandy Hess, Joe and wife Lisa Hess, Mary and husband Art Livingston, David and wife Dana Hess, Liza and husband Joe Grainda, Paula and husband Joe Faustini, Chris and wife Cheryl Kayser, and Theressa and husband Rick Moran; and his 25 dear cousins. He was predeceased by his brother Stephen W. Hess, Jr. in 1992 and his maternal grandfather James Kayser in 2016.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Kevin’s name are asked to consider the Richard J. Caron Foundation, P.O. Box 150, Wernersville, PA 19565, or online at www.caron.org/donate
Guestbook
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.