Edward Robert "Butch" Kinnebrew III's Obituary
Edward Robert "Butch" Kinnebrew III, the son of Edward Robert and Emeline Boyer Kinnebrew, died on July 27 at the age of eighty-five. He was predeceased by his parents and his sister, Sarah Kinnebrew Dale. His remaining sister, Sloan Kinnebrew Sable, lives in Boston. He will also be greatly missed by his niece, Sarah Hilton Sable of Sleepy Hollow, NY, and nephew, Alan Kinnebrew Sable of Montevideo, Uruguay. Sorrowed as well, is Butch's precious dear friend thorough out his life, Jane Battle.
“Butch,” as he was known, received many scholastic honors beginning in grade school, graduating the top in his class and delivering his valedictorian address in Latin. He went on to receive a scholarship to St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire where he graduated cum laude in 1955. He graduated cum laude from Princeton in 1959, majoring in the Classics: Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit.
He had a long career in the insurance industry with the E.H. Crump and Company, specifically in the aviation field. He insured Elvis’s airplane, the Lisa Marie. He was a former member of Lloyds of London. He started Crump Aviation Underwriters on behalf of E.H. Crump, and, after the sale of E.H. Crump, he founded and was president of Continental Aviation Underwriters. He also founded and was first president of the Aviation Insurance Association, which grew to be the largest aviation trade association in the country. In 1996 he received the AIA Pinnacle Award for exemplary standards in his career and going beyond the call of duty.
Butch was a sports enthusiast and rooted for the Philadelphia Eagles and Phillies. One of his favorite stories was telling how his mother took him to see Jackie Robinson play. He also was a supporter of Opera Memphis, thanks in part to his mother’s career as an opera singer. He had a great sense of humor and would get a twinkle in his eye when he was kidding you. He was extremely loyal to his friends and kept up with prep school, college, and business associates, sending them custom-designed Christmas cards. Lastly, he loved his succession of shih tzu dogs.
The family would especially like to thank Chris Brown at Belmont Senior Living Memphis for the exceptional care and love that he and Belmont Village provided Butch for a number of years. Butch was buried in Nashville. Memorial Services for Butch are currently postponed at the moment.
Memorials may be made to the Emeline Boyer Kinnebrew Fund at Opera Memphis online at www.operamemphis.org or by mail at: Opera Memphis, P.O. Box 40999, Memphis, TN 38174 or to a charity of the donor’s choice.
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