Franklin “Gary” Kinsey, 83, a native of Georgetown, Washington, D.C., passed away on Aug. 12, 2016, at Delaware Hospice in Milford, Del. He was the son of Walter Kinsey and Sadie (Dempsey) Kinsey.
Kinsey was the owner of the original Chevy Chase Lounge and a former police officer with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington. He was born in his childhood home on 34th Street in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., on May 15, 1933.
Kinsey attended Gordon Junior High School in D.C. and started working at the age of 16 at the downtown Woodward & Lothrop’s. Subsequently, Kinsey was employed by Chestnut Farms Dairy, where he participated in fast-pitch softball leagues with his brothers, Billy and Lee. At age 22, he joined the MPD and spent the next 10 years working at the 8th Precinct, a job he truly loved and during which time he received five commendations.
In 1966, Gary and Mary Kinsey opened the Chevy Chase Lounge, along with his sons Michael, Brent, Darren and Scott, and very special bartenders, Norman Bradford, Dennis Murray and John “Batch” Carr. The Lounge was a great neighborhood gathering place for almost 30 years, entertaining people from all walks of life, including such notables as Perry Como, Ray Charles, Jay Leno, Nick Perito, George Will, Vice President Dan Quayle, Frank Howard, former Washington Post Sports Editor Martie Zad and attorney John R. Hartnett, to name a few.
Kinsey was an avid baseball fan and trivia buff. In 1956, thanks to his Georgetown friend and scout for the Senators, Joe Branzell, he had a brief tryout with the Washington Senators as a pitcher. He remained a lifelong Washington Senators fan, never switching allegiance to any other team, even when they twice left D.C. When D.C was finally blessed with the Washington Nationals, he simply stated, “That was one long road trip!”
Kinsey loved to sing and had a voice that was often compared to that of his friend Perry Como. In his youth, he could be found entertaining at the Silver Dollar Restaurant in Georgetown. In 1993, due to ever-escalating rent, the Kinseys closed the much-loved Lounge. He spent the next 10 years working at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, with the security department, where he earned numerous awards for his work and made many wonderful friends (including Thomas McDonald, who named his son Kinsey).
Kinsey finally retired in 2006 and moved to Bethany Beach, Del., where he continued singing at several area restaurants, including Outriggers, Harpoon Hanna’s and High Stakes, with his friend Bobby Burns.
Kinsey was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife and the mother of his sons, Virginia (Blenkiron) Kinsey; his second wife, Mary (Tidwell) Kinsey, co-owner of the Lounge; two sons, Kevin Perry Kinsey and Walter Brent Kinsey; three brothers, Billy, Jack and Lee; and four sisters, Margie, Gail, Jackie and Marie. He is survived by his wife, Martha; sons, Michael and his wife, Sandy, Darren and his wife, Dana, and Scott; a granddaughter, Sara; and countless friends.
The family thanked the nurses at Beebe Healthcare and Delaware Hospice who provided excellent, respectful and loving care.
A celebration of Kinsey’s life will be held Saturday Aug. 20, 2016, from 2 to 5 p.m., at DeVol Funeral Home, 2222 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., with valet parking. Final arrangements were private. In lieu of flowers, the family suggested memorial donations to Delaware Hospice; 100 Patriots Way; Milford, DE 19963.