Thoughts and memories of a brave Conestoga High School alum and U.S. Marine will touch down in Malvern this Saturday now that the months-long search and investigation into the Jan. 14 helicopter crash off the shore of Hawaii is over.

Family, friends and neighbors will honor the memory of Capt. Brian T. Kennedy during a 7 to 9 p.m. visitation Friday night at St. Patrick Church and a 10 a.m. funeral mass Saturday morning.

“The willingness of our troops to complete dangerous training to prepare for any mission our nation asks of them will not be forgotten,” President Barack Obama said in a Philly.com obituary by Bonnie L. Cook.

Kennedy was a member of Hawaii’s Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 “Pegasus” and was one of 12 Marines aboard two CH-53E “Super Stallion” choppers on the tragic night training mission; nine bodies were found and recovered.

“He was a natural leader with unwavering integrity, known for his kindness and strength as well as his passion for service,” the article stated.

The “very exhaustive” search and recovery effort ended just last week, according to his father, William Kennedy.

Read more about Kennedy’s life and service in the Philly.com obituary here.