John Kingery

John R. Kingery passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 4,2019, after a yearlong battle with cancer.

John was born on August 7, 1955, at the Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, to Leonard and Elizabeth Kingery. He was the youngest of 5 children, blessed with 3 sisters, Jean, Mary Ellen, and Joanne, and brother, David. John spent the first two years of his life being raised in Rockville, Maryland. At the young age of 2 years old, John's family moved to Barcelona, then onto Roda, Spain, where John would live for the next 6 years. They would make their way back to the United States when John was 8 years old, relocating to Winthrop, Massachusetts for the next 6 years, then to Salem, New Hampshire, where John would attend and finish high school at Salem High School in New Hampshire.

In 1972, John moved to Boynton Beach, Florida, and decided to become a hairdresser. He completed his state licensing and soon began his career.  Throughout his twenties he worked in various salons, even taking a chance on a salon of his own in Delray Beach, Florida for a short time, an ambitious feat for someone so young. The location of the Delray Beach salon stifled business so John had no choice but to close, yet he continued to work hard, honing his craft, until another opportunity to become a salon owner presented itself.

John loved everything about Florida, the weather, the lifestyle, and especially the golf. John was a true lover of the sport, playing golf whenever and wherever he could. He loved being out on the grounds, enjoying the camaraderie, the competition, and the joy of being outdoors. John was a force to be reckoned with on a golf course which he loved as well. He was a familiar face at Crystal Lake Country Club, Tam 0' Shanter Golf Club, and Deer Creek Country Club for many years, trying his best to play as often as time would allow.

In 1992, while employed at Genesis Hair Salon in Boca Raton, he would meet the "love of his life", Connie Hersch, at (not surprising), a golf outing. From that meeting they were inseparable, and very much in love. They would live together in east Boca until 1994, then make their permanent residence in the lovely neighborhood of Palm Beach Farms in Boca Raton, where John would reside for the remainder of his life.

John would eventually purchase the shop in which he worked, continuing to own and run Genesis Hair Salon for over a decade. The men and women who worked side by side with John became his friends, as did his clients. John and Connie's home was a place for everyone, throwing memorable Christmas parties that included co-workers, friends, and neighbors alike. Halloween at their home was a treat for the neighborhood kids, who loved the "scary decor", especially the enormous front oak tree adorned with John's handmade "ghosts", which he faithfully created and hung each year for everyone to enjoy.