On Monday, hundreds of mourners attended funeral services for Tyrone Kenner, 76, a former South Side alderman, who died last week after a bout with pneumonia.
On Monday, hundreds of mourners attended funeral services for Tyrone Kenner, 76, a former South Side alderman, who died last week after a bout with pneumonia.
Services were held at Life Center Church of God in Christ, 5500 S. Indiana Ave., for Kenner, who was head of the 3rd Ward from 1971 to 1983. He was forced out of office after being convicted in federal court for taking bribes. Kenner was also convicted on obstruction of justice charges for trying to influence witnesses. He served 20 months of a five-year prison sentence.
Mayor Harold Washington appointed Dorothy Tillman to replace Kenner, and he would later try to re-claim his seat but was unsuccessful. Kenner lost to Tillman in 1991 and 1995 elections.
Up until he fell ill, Kenner was an assistant engineer at Cook County Jail, according to Gwen Kenner-Johnson, his first cousin. And while he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force, he later became a boxing promoter. Prior to becoming alderman, Kenner was also a Chicago police officer.
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In photos: Mourners pay final respects to former Alderman Tyrone Kenner.
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