By Jim Bloch
St. Clair County Community College recently recognized Kevin Totty. Sr. as the 2024 alumni of the year to honor his life and the work he invested in the Port Huron community.
Totty died of cancer Sept. 7, 2024. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Jessica Totty, their five children and three grandchildren. He was 64.
“SC4 has a rich history of successful alumni,” said SC4 President Kirk Kramer in a statement. “SC4 alumni are individuals from our midst that build on the foundation of our community to enrich our lives. We recognize, value and honor the service and life of Kevin Totty, Sr. as the 2024 SC4 Alumni of the Year.”
Totty life was dedicated to public service through his involvement with a number of local organizations, such as Saving Our Neighborhoods and Streets Outreach. He worked as a chaplain for the Port Huron Police Department. He sat on the Governance Board and Board of Directors for the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce. He served, along with his wife Jessica, as a pastor for #C4Yourselfchurch and worked for the St. Clair County Juvenile Center.
“Most recently, Totty worked as a full-time staff member for the Community Foundation of St. Clair County,” said the college in its press release. “After being with the organization for five years as a volunteer, he was hired onto their staff in 2021.”
Totty found great meaning in his work for the foundation.
“Out of all the jobs I’ve had, the Foundation really is the closest to the different assignments the Lord has put on my heart,” Totty told the foundation.
In addition to his SC4 degree, the college said, Totty recently returned to school and earned his bachelor’s degree in philanthropy.
“Kevin Totty is the embodiment of giving back,” said Randy Maiers, president of the foundation in a statement. “He’s more involved in the community, seven days a week, than anyone else on our team.”
At the regular meeting of the Port Huron City Council March 10, SC4 board member John Lusk announced a public reception to honor Totty’s life and work.
“This Thursday (March 13), at the Welcome Center at the college, there will be a reception, and the Totty family will be there,” said Lusk. “We’ll have reception for about an hour, 3:30-4:30 p.m. All are welcome. It will be a worthwhile thing to do, to honor the man and pay respects to his family… I hope to see everybody there.
In a story published in January 2024, the foundation praised Totty’s approach to community service.
“Kevin has carefully crafted a meaningful life’s mission of bringing people together, weaving individual threads into a strong community element,” said the foundation. “Whether he is encouraging youth, providing resources to remove barriers to college success, or setting into motion things that will affect the community long into the future, he is doing it by listening to what people are saying, learning from it, and then leaning on everyone’s understanding to collaborate for a successful outcome.”
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
