It is with sadness that the family of T. Kevin Massey (Kevin) announces his passing on March 23, 2026. His loving family includes his wife, Elizabeth; his son, Wade; his sister, Marsha; his sister-in-law, Suzanne; his brother-in-law, Jesse; and his mother-in-law, Joann.
Kevin was born on December 29, 1957, in Jacksonville, Florida, to William “Pete” and Minivan Massey – the second of their two children. Kevin attended elementary school in Jacksonville. In search of a more challenging educational setting, the family moved to Chappaqua, New York in 1967, where Kevin eventually attended Horace Greeley High School. Among other pursuits, he played in the steel drum band, performed in musicals, and achieved the rank of Life Scout in the Boy Scouts. He found role models and mentors in his chemistry teacher, the late Rosslyn Zook; his math and physics teacher, the late Edwin Barlow; and the late James “Jimmy” Leyden, founder of the high-school steel drum band, Calliope’s Children, with which Kevin performed, recorded an LP, and traveled to Romania to perform.
Kevin attended Princeton University where he studied civil engineering and wrote his senior thesis on acoustically coupled rooms. He was awarded the Class of 1883 English Prize for Freshmen in the School of Engineering for his essay on Robert Frost’s poem “The Wood-Pile.” He was a proud member of the men’s a cappella singing group, The Nassoons, and loved returning to campus for reunions, camaraderie and singing. Kevin graduated from Princeton in 1979 with a BS in civil engineering and went on to work at IBM, first as a computer programmer and then as a sales manager. He concurrently earned his MBA in finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1998, Kevin met his forever love, Elizabeth (Liz). They were married six months later in May 1999 and spent part of their honeymoon at Kevin’s 20th Princeton reunion. Wade joined the family in 2005.
After a career that took him from Pennsylvania to northern California, Kevin retired from IBM in 2006 to focus on non-profit management. He moved with his family back to New York, where he served for ten years as the administrator and executive director of High Ridge House, a Christian Science care facility in Riverdale, New York. He then took his talents to The Principle Foundation where he served as the director of operations until the time of his passing.
Kevin was devoted to serving God and his faith. Everywhere he lived he found a church home in which to serve and brought great blessings to each church family. He was also devoted to his family, and nothing made him happier than spending time with Wade. A steady support to both of his parents and his in-laws in their later years, Kevin welcomed his mother-in-law to live in their family home for eight years. He was a lifelong learner, infinitely curious and always open to new adventures. He enjoyed traveling and most recently had fallen in love with cruising on a Viking ship to Alaska. In August 2025, he moved to the Boston area where he looked forward to exploring all that city had to offer, including the Boston Symphony and its summer residence at Tanglewood in the Berkshires.
Kevin is remembered as a gentleman – intelligent, kind, and principled – who was always ready to help. He brought wisdom and excellence to all that he did. He is deeply missed and will be forever loved. His family is hosting a Celebration of Life on the afternoon of June 27, 2026 in the Boston area.
For those who wish to make a donation in Kevin’s memory, donations can be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center at https://www.splcenter.org/ or to The Principle Foundation at https://principlefoundation.org/donate/