By Reid Forgrave
Enquirer staff writer

HYDE PARK - A man struck by a van while walking near the Hyde Park Kroger remained in intensive care Sunday.

Robert F. Kendall, described by neighbors as a spry older man who walked more than a mile to attend the 8 a.m. Sunday service at Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church, broke his arm and suffered internal injuries in the incident, friends said.

The 81-year-old retired interior decorator, who worked at the downtown Closson's store about 50 years, was walking near Paxton Avenue and Wasson Road near the Kroger gas station shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday when he was struck by a turning van.

He was in critical condition Sunday evening at University Hospital.

A teenage boy walking nearby witnessed the incident.

Andrew Court, a Cincinnati County Day student, said Kendall appeared to have been struck by the van's bumper at a fairly slow speed.

A smashed shopping cart lay nearby, he said.

The van driver was not charged.

Neighbors said Kendall was no longer able to drive and often would walk the 11/2 miles from his home near Cincinnati Country Club to the grocery.

"He's a hardy old man," said next-door neighbor Christine Perme, who attends church with Kendall.

Friends say Kendall is an active supporter of the Cincinnati arts scene, especially the symphony.

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E-mail rforgrave@enquirer.com