The Kershaw Cos.’ Kevin Frederick Kershaw, who died July 3, is being remembered for a life lived with passion, competition and deep love for his family, according to his obituary, adding that he was a beloved father, son, cousin and friend who will be dearly missed.
Kershaw was born in Yakima, Wash. on Nov. 7, 1969, to Mary Ann and Edward Kershaw, joining his brother, Brian, as a companion and playmate.
Sports-focused from the start
Kevin Kershaw was born an athlete. From an early age, he displayed how motivated he was to excel in all he attempted. Whether in competition with his brother, in family card games, in the classroom or on the field of play, he learned that hard work and determination created winners.
Growing up in Yakima, Kershaw was a winner at age 5 in soccer, leading his six teammates to the championship. In grade school, he guided the Gilbert Grizzlies to league championships year after year.
Through middle school at Wilson Jr. High, Kershaw and his cousin, Robert, dined at every McDonald’s in the Northwest while competing at ski races in the winter. In 1986, they competed in the Junior Olympics for skiing in Incline Village, Nev.
Kershaw was also an exceptionally talented tennis player. He began competing in the summer tennis circuit as a young child, where he won multiple singles titles. He continued his athletic achievements into high school, where he was a 4A tennis doubles state champion, in addition to an All-League wide receiver.
Kershaw graduated from Eisenhower High School in 1988. He carried his tennis career into college as a Division I tennis scholar-athlete at Washington State University, graduating with a business degree in 1992. At WSU, he also became a “Forever Cougar” as a proud Sigma Nu Brother.
Professional life in ag, transportation
Following graduation, Kershaw began his professional career in Seattle, where he learned the value and challenges of customer service in high-pressure environments. While in Seattle, he met Kim, a fellow Cougar. They moved to Yakima where they married and began their family.
Kershaw joined his cousin, Robert, and their fathers in the Kershaw Cos., the family’s legacy agriculture business. He started his time with the company working on the ranches alongside his uncle, Bob. Later, in the early 2010s, Kershaw was tasked to help develop a transportation company to service customers worldwide. His leadership in Domex Logistics officially began with the company’s foundation in 2015, becoming an instrumental piece of the larger enterprise’s past and future successes.
Strong and loyal company employees, a competitive spirit and a drive to succeed created many opportunities for Kershaw and his cousin to lead the Kershaw Cos.’ continued growth as one of the top apple, pear and cherry companies in the U.S. today.
Personal and community life
A lifelong athlete, Kershaw remained an avid golfer and competitive tennis player. He was a member of the Yakima Country Club and the Yakima Tennis Club. He was also a member of the Bighorn Country Club in Palm Desert, Calif., that would provide his favorite activities — especially during the winter months.
Above all else, Kershaw was especially proud of his children. They were the greatest joys of his life and his greatest sources of pride; they brightened his day, and the time spent with them were the highlights of his weeks, the obituary notes. They provided years of competitive successes for Kershaw to enjoy. He adored spending most of his children’s formative years watching Katie succeed on the soccer field and seeing Kieran dominate in football, basketball and baseball. Spending time with Kacen and seeing his early years brought Kershaw immense happiness.
More recently, Kershaw was overjoyed to celebrate Katie’s marriage to Nick Perry with friends and family in September 2024, and he was exceptionally proud of Kieran’s graduation from WSU in May 2024. He had loved spending time with Kieran while he worked at the family business in his high school and college years — which started with a broom in the cold storage facilities and ended in DSG Logistics with his father — but was thrilled for Kieran to have recently begun his career in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Kershaw was preceded in death by his grandparents, Ronald and Betty Kershaw and Dr. Fred and Betty Ann Burrows; his brother, Brian, in 1996 at age 30; and his nephew, Matthew Brian Kershaw Hogenson, in 2021 at age 25.
Kershaw is survived by his parents, Ed and Mary Ann; his children Katie (Nick Perry) and Kieran and their mother Kim; Kevin’s son Kacen; and many other cousins.
A celebration of Kershaw’s life will be held Tuesday, July 22, from 2-5 p.m. at the Yakima Country Club, 500 Country Club Drive in Yakima.
His family invites donations to the Washington Apple Education Foundation, the Monsignor John Ecker Foundation, and the La Salle High School Foundation in care of Brookside Funeral Home, P.O. Box 1267, Moxee, WA 98936. Memories and condolences can be shared at brooksidefuneral.com.
