Obituary of Matthew Ernest Kensey

Matthew E. Kensey Of Vestal Matthew E. Kensey, age 28, of Vestal, NY, passed away peacefully at his home on Tuesday, August 28, 2007, with his intrepid guard cat, Star, and his family at his side after a long fight with leukemia. Matt was born to Ernest and Valerie Kensey on December 2, 1978, in Waterbury, Connecticut. Matt graduated from Seton Catholic Central School and magna cum laude from Binghamton University. Matt was a Phi Beta Kappa member and editor of Pipe Dream at Binghamton University before taking a job at the Express Times in Easton, Pa. Matts love of printing brought him back to Binghamton. For the last four years, he was the enthusiastic manager and future owner of the family business. He met Diane Beebe in February 2003 while volunteering for Southern Tier Young Professionals and married in September 2004. Matt was very active in the community. He completed the Broome Leadership Institute Program and was a founding member of the Southern Tier Young Professionals. Matt is remembered as a true gentleman who had a plan. Matt was an exceptionally witty and courageous man who is a source of inspiration for those who had the pleasure of knowing him. Matt is survived by his wife, Diane Beebe Kensey, Vestal; parents, Ernest and Valerie Kensey, Vestal; grandparents, Gordon and Margieanne Kinney, Belleair Bluffs, Fla; mother-in-law, Kathy (Mike) Malloy, Owego, father-in-law, Phil Beebe, Candor; sisters-in-law, Pamela Travis, Candor and Joanna (Mike) Poston, Bridgeton, NC; niece and nephew, Megan and Nathan Travis; and many aunts, uncles and cousins. Funeral services will be held at 9:30, Saturday, September 1, at the Coleman & Daniels Funeral Home, Inc., 765 Main St., Vestal, NY and 10:00 a.m. at our Lady of Sorrows, 157 Clark Street, Vestal. Burial will be in Vestal Hills Memorial Park, 3997 Vestal Rd., Vestal. The family will receive friends at the Coleman and Daniels Funeral Home, 765 Main St., Vestal from 4:00 7:00 p.m. on Friday, August 31. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Matthew Kensey Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Seton Catholic Central, 70 Seminary Ave., Binghamton, NY 13905. Alternative donations may be made to the Stray Haven Animal Shelter, 194 Shepard Road, Waverly, NY 14892, which is where Matt found his beloved Star.