Kevin McLenithan

Kevin McLenithan, of North Bennington, went to Mount Anthony Union High School. He wasn’t a big guy, but he played on the football team and was part of the team that won the 1975 state championship. For more than 40 years he worked in the automobile business, often managing parts departments. For the last two years, he worked at Greene’s Oil, a family-owned heating oil business in Bennington. Andrea Martinson worked with McLenithan at Greene’s. The two answered the phone, handled billing and ticketing and waited on customers.

"He was a nice guy and everything, and everybody liked working with him and all that. And he was always here. He was funny. Sometimes he got a little upset, like if things didn't go like they were supposed to during the day. But he was fun to work with … especially with me working off with him. I always had a fun time, like always joking around with him, like I‘d hide around the corner, I'd scare him or like, put tape on his phone or something. "

But in January, McLenithan, who was 63, got sick. It was COVID, and Martinson says she and several other coworkers got sick as well. “It's actually like a wake up call. It is scary ... life is too short, and then you don't know if you're going to wake up the next day or something, you know, be able to see your friends or family ever again. So it's pretty shocking.” Kevin McLenithan died on Feb. 1, 2021. According to his obituary, he enjoyed hunting and fishing and being outdoors. He leaves behind his wife of 31 years, Linda.

Andrea Martinson remembering coworker Kevin McLenithan

North Bennington, Vermont