COVID-19 claims life of former Osceola Mayor Dickie Kennemore

Former Osceola Mayor Dickie Kennemore has died following a weeks-long battle with COVID-19, according to his family. Kennemore reportedly served as the Mississippi County city’s mayor for 28 years before he was defeated by Sally Wilson during the 2018 election cycle.

“I worked with and for Dickie Kennemore for 20 years on economic development projects. Mayor Kennemore, along with Mayor Harrison of Blytheville and County Judge Steve McGuire, and hundreds of voters created and sustained the economic development effort in Mississippi County. Dickie and I worked many projects that we failed to win. That is the nature of economic development but Dickie never got down when we lost and that is the nature of winning the next time,” Mississippi County Economic Development Area President Clif Chitwood said on social media.

Kennemore was instrumental in bringing the Big River Steel plant to Osceola which opened in 2014. It is now owned by U.S. Steel. When the $1.3 billion plant opened, it was the largest project of its kind in the state’s history. The factory employs hundreds of workers with high-paying jobs in one of the most impoverished counties in the Mississippi Delta region.

U.S. Steel owns 49.9% of Big River Steel and plans to buy it outright by 2023, according to the Wall Street Journal. The purchase price is expected to be $3 billion.

Kennemore was diagnosed with COVID-19 several weeks before his death and his condition deteriorated during the last week, according to social media posts by his family. He developed pneumonia and his kidneys started to fail.

The former mayor was a mainstay at high school athletic events throughout the years in his native county, and he wrote about his grandchildren often on his Facebook page.

“Just in case anyone doubted, I know my daddy sang his gospel favorites first, but “Johnny Be Good” has already been sang as well!! So glad I got to be there for his Nashville Debut!! Please excuse me in the background!! I loved watching my daddy sing!! What a great man!” his daughter, Kristy Kennemore Latham, wrote upon his passing.