Anna Pawelczyk was born in 1912 to Russian-Polish immigrants. Her father, Stanley, was a mill worker. He married Marjanna Zelenska and they immigrated to Massachusetts, where they had four children. As a child, Anna’s parents called her “Annie.”
By 1930, Anna was 18 years old and married to William Lavallee, 24. They were living with his family in Webster, MA. They were employed together at a local shoe shop, and she was expecting their first child.
Anna had two sons with William Lavallee. Their marriage faltered, and they separated while the boys were still young. Anna remarried on August 12, 1942, to a man named Philip Kenneway.
Anna’s second husband was born Henry Philip Kenneway on May 18, 1914. His Canadian immigrant parents were likely pushing for marriage by 1942, since he was approaching 30. Philip and Anna Kenneway were married and lived in Connecticut. At the time, Philip was working for Pratt & Whitney, a longstanding aerospace manufacturing company with heavy government contracts. He had not finished high school, but assembly lines were a booming business in wartime.
On September 24, 1942, just 33 days after their wedding, Philip was drafted into WWII. This left Anna at home. During their 12 years of marriage, the relationship was tumultuous. After serving, Philip returned home to Anna.
On June 4, 1954, something changed the relationship permanently. A coworker, Ruth Skinner, later told police that she received a phone call from Anna sometime between June 4 and 7. The call was from a payphone. Ruth reported that the call was disconnected before Anna could give her a callback number. She could not tell if Anna hung up the phone, or if someone else disconnected the call.
In July, Anna’s oldest son, Richard, was growing increasingly concerned that he had not heard from his mother. He reported her missing to authorities. Local police told Richard that Anna’s husband, Philip, had to be the one to report her missing.
After Richard continued to pry, a short investigation was conducted by local law enforcement. Philip Kenneway told Richard and the police that he had an argument with Anna on the evening of June 4, 1954. To cool off, he left the house and went to the movies. He was gone, alone, for about two hours. When he returned home, Anna was gone.
Philip reported that Anna took some of her belongings, $3,000 in cash, and $9,000 in savings bonds. None of these items have been recovered.
Richard’s instigation led to a “15 state alarm” being raised to look for Anna, but no record of her was ever found. She was declared dead in 1991.
Philip remarried a woman named Pauline, who he was with until his death in 1995. She lived in the home at 14 Little St until 1997, and later died in 2005.
In 2006, Anna’s family made a new request for Connecticut’s cold case unit to investigate Anna’s disappearance. Law enforcement, with permission from the then-current owners of the home, dug up the foundation of the garage at 14 Little St. The garage’s concrete base was poured not long after Anna went missing in 1954. Unfortunately, after digging through approximately three feet of dirt, police announced the search found no new information.
At this time, all records from the 1954 investigation have been lost. Anna’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren are still looking for answers in her disappearance.
Anyone with information regarding Anna’s disappearance or Philip Kenneway’s actions around June and July of 1954 should reach out to Manchester Police Department at 860-645-5544.
Sources:
FamilySearch.org
NamUs
Naugatuck Daily News
Hartford Courant