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At Son's Funeral, Jacksonville Father Vows To Start Suicide-Prevention Group

Joe Kenney shows a wall of his Jacksonville condominium decorated with photos of his son Gary, who suffered from depression and committed suicide at age 30.
Bob Self
/
Florida Times-Union
Joe Kenney shows a wall of his Jacksonville condominium decorated with photos of his son Gary, who suffered from depression and committed suicide at age 30.

One wall of Joe Kenney's condo overlooking the St. Johns River downtown is covered with photos of his son, Gary, many from the fishing trips father and son used to take together. The photos are a way, he says, of remembering the good days, the days before Gary became a recluse, troubled, depressed, unwilling to answer his door no matter how long his father stood outside, knocking and pleading.

The photos are a way to remember the days before April 19, 2019, when Gary, just 30, killed himself.

But Kenney doesn't want to forget the troubled days before and after that, either. They are what drives him now, what's led him to pour his money, time and energy into trying to prevent others from taking their own lives.

“My son and I failed in trying to save his life," Kenney said. "It’s harsh. I’ll never forgive myself. But it’s reality. How many others fail? It’s countless.”

On the day of Gary's funeral, Kenney vowed to take action. And in January he helped open doors in Neptune Beach for a nonprofit called Here Tomorrow.

Its goal is to provide easy, quick access to those who need to have conversations about mental health, including suicide — and then help guide them to longer-term counseling and support.

Its services are free.

Read the full story at Jacksonville.com.