Kerri-Anne Kennerley farewells husband John at Sydney funeral
Kerri-Anne Kennerley has laid her husband John to rest, 35 years after the couple said “I do”. The TV personality was supported by family and a host of familiar faces at the funeral in Woollahra.
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Kerri-Anne Kennerley greeted guests on arrival to husband John’s funeral at the All Saints Anglican Church in Woollahra this morning.
Wearing a splash of colour, the much loved television host welcomed familiar faces from Dawn Fraser to Tim Webster, Anita Jacoby and her Studio 10 co-stars including Joe Hildebrand, Sarah Harris and Angela Bishop.
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John Randall Kennerley died on February 28 of complications relating to pneumonia.
The 79-year-old had suffered health challenges in recent years after a fall in March 2016 that rendered him quadriplegic.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, his son Simon and daughter Tracey.
Pages of photographs of happier times were shared in a funeral booklet.
“Kerri and John and their friends and family would like to thank St Vincent’s Hospital for their care of John during the final stages of his illness,” the booklet read.
“Unfortunately because of circumstances there will be no wake today except for a private immediate family gathering.”
Kennerley was a train fanatic. With a large bouquet of flowers, mostly roses, standing nearby, a toy train lay along his coffin.
Hymns included Amazing Grace and Onward Christian Soldiers while eulogies were given by Sue Bleakley and Paul Kennerley, Simon Kennerley, John Kehoe and Rob Joske.
Donations to Spinal Cure Australia were suggested in lieu of flowers.
Others in the congregation included Deeta Colvin, Prue MacSween, Jonathan Ward and Andrew Banks.
Together, Kennerley’s Studio 10 co-stars Denise Scott, Joe Hildebrand, Angela Bishop and Sarah Harris said: “KAK has been a beloved part of our family from the moment she first joined us and this awful sadness has shaken us all. We are an extremely close knit group of friends on this show — we laugh together and we grieve together but most of all we support each other.
“Ironically KAK is probably the toughest and strongest out of all of us. We can’t wait to have her back on the show as soon as is ready. In the meantime she knows we are there at her beck and call whenever she needs us. We could not love her more.”
Governor-General Peter Cosgrove and wife were among those paying their respects.
“I’ve known Kerri-Anne and John for many years and I’ve never seen John without a smile,” Mr Cosgrove told The Daily Telegraph.
“Even when he was very badly injured and in that wheelchair, he always had a smile. He was a lovely man and will be sadly missed.”
At the end of this morning’s Studio 10 episode, the fill-in hosts paid tribute to Kennerley and acknowledged the hardship faced by Kerri-Anne.
Natarsha Belling said: “I think what many of us know who have worked with Kerri-Anne on the show, is she was going through this enormous personal tragedy where John had been unwell and she turned up every day to work and soldiered on and showed such extraordinary courage, which would have been an incredibly difficult couple of years after John’s accident for her, to be there by his side.”
They also aired snippets of the emotional eulogies given by Kerri-Anne’s brother in law, John Kehoe and John Kennerley’s son, Simon, at the funeral.
Originally published as Kerri-Anne Kennerley farewells husband John at Sydney funeral
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