Kevin, the beloved peacock in Rome, has died. He was hit and killed near his home.

If you live or travel near Fort Rickey in Rome, you probably saw Kevin a time or two, wandering alongside the road. Kim Lamphiere has had the peacock for the last three years and raised him since he was about 3-months-old. She said this was the first year he's gone exploring. "He normally wanders close to home and the neighbors love when he comes to visit."

Credit - Kimi Parsons Lamphier
Credit - Kimi Parsons Lamphier
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Fort Rickey knew Kevin too. The owners received a number of calls on the peacock with people thinking it got loose from the discovery zoo.

The peacock running around on Route 46 near the New London gas station - that's Kevin. He is not our peacock. He belongs to a family that lives near there. We appreciate all the concerned phone calls and FB messages. We get dozens a day about him. So in an attempt to set minds at ease, Kevin has been running free over there for over a year.

The peacock recently went missing and miraculously came home after being gone for two weeks. "We were out feeding the other birds and he just came running up from the backfield," said Kim. "My husband and I just stood there in disbelief, we said at the same time 'holy crap he came home."

Credit - Kimi Parsons Lamphier
Credit - Kimi Parsons Lamphier
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This time Kevin didn't make it back home. Someone hit and killed the peacock while he was trying to cross the bridge on Route 46. "He was home at 7 AM and we found him at 9:30 AM."

Kim is having Kevin cremated and plans to create a memorial in his honor. "I kept most of his tail feathers and I will be making a memory frame with them and his urn."

Rest in peace Kevin. May you wander to your heart's content in the next life.

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