Kevin L. Bains

Kevin Lynn Bains was born on June 18, 1955 in Dallas, Texas. Although somehow born without a natural passion for the Dallas Cowboys, this was more than made up for when he met his loving – and exuberant - wife of 41 years, Penny. Kevin and Penny married on June 25, 1977, and unconfirmed reports are that they spent the better part of those 41 years singing random Broadway show tunes in perfect harmony as though no one was around (and often they were not). Family was always very important to Kevin, and he and Penny started their own family with the birth of their first son, Brandon Kevin, on May 20, 1980. Their second son, Logan Drew, followed several years later on September 28, 1984. As both Kevin and Penny were only children, being a close knit family took on heightened importance due to the lack of cousins, aunts, and uncles. Kevin’s parents also died early, so the running joke was that it was a family reunion every Saturday when Penny’s parents might come over for dinner. Speaking of Saturdays, if you happen to have come by their house in Desoto, Texas (where the family was raised for nearly the entirety of Brandon and Logan’s childhood), you very likely would have heard 98.7 blaring from the radio in the backyard playing the "oldies," while the family relaxed by the pool. The fact "time marches on" is perhaps best exemplified by the "oldies" on 98.7 now being music from the 80s.

Kevin was naturally a hard worker, and this value was instilled with his children. Kevin entered the workforce at 18 as a bank teller, and through grit, determination, and excellent people skills, he elevated himself to the executive level and the proverbial corner office. For his colleagues at hotels.com, they likely would get a chuckle out of that particular tidbit given that their new offices - where Kevin ended his career - were completely open concept. Yet, even with that innovation in workplace dynamics, Kevin's people skills still shone through, and it gave him great joy to torment his younger colleagues sitting in the desks right next to him.

As the years went by, the family was expanded. Brandon married Allison Reid in 2008, and with that marriage came three grandchildren: Sailor, 8; Saxon, 6; and Cannon, 4. Logan also has two children: Emma, 9; and Brooks, 6. It was amazing to see how grandchildren brought a sparkle to Kevin's eye - and perhaps more incredibly, how a dining room table that Brandon and Logan could not even look at, let alone touch, suddenly became an arts and crafts table for the grandchildren, with all cares about varnish going by the wayside. Perhaps more importantly is how poignant the grandchildren's outlook has been through the last several months of Kevin's life. Their childlike faith is a lesson to all adults, as they recognize without missing a beat that because of Kevin's faith, he is no longer suffering the ills of this world, but has gone to a place where both eyes are working, the body is no longer broken, and (at least we all hope) he can eat chicken fried steak with reckless abandon and forget things like cholesterol and blood pressure.

The family will certainly miss Kevin's presence for years and years to come. Kevin's legacy, however, will remain intact forever, as the love he showed for his family continues to permeate all those that were lucky enough to call him husband, dad, Papaw, or friend.