Kenneth Larkin Woomer

He died after multiple weeks of decline at Monterey Care Center in Grove City, Ohio. He was a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who will be missed.

Kenneth was an avid fisherman, who enjoyed the hobby for a greater part of his life. His favorite fish to catch was rainbow trout. He wore many career hats throughout his long life: bricklayer, butcher, LPN, janitor, and pastor, among others.

Kenneth was born on February 15, 1939, in Robertsdale, Pennsylvania, to the late Kenneth Elsmer Woomer and the late Mabel LaRue Woomer (neé Bollinger). He was the youngest of three, growing up with two older sisters (both deceased), Margaret “Peg” Woomer Weaver and Joan Woomer Watson.

After graduating from Robertsdale High School in 1959, he joined the military in 1961. He served for six years in the U.S. Army, leaving active duty with the rank of E-6. He also served several years in the U.S. Army Reserves. He received the National Defense Service Medal for his stateside service during the Vietnam War.

He married Alice Faye Jackson on July 20, 1963, in San Francisco. They lived in California before various career changes took the family to Fort Dix, New Jersey; Levittown, Pennsylvania; and Lesage, West Virginia. Their daughter LaRue was born on April 14, 1964, and their son Ken was born on July 10, 1966.

Those who knew Kenneth understood how important knowing Jesus was to him. This passion led him to move to Ohio to attend seminary in his early 40s as a diploma student. He was a pastor for fifteen years in several Churches of God General Conference churches in Pennsylvania before retiring to Millfield, Ohio in 2007.

He enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Once his grandchildren were school-aged, they spent a week every summer with their Grandpa and Grandma Woomer through their teen years. There were trips to Hershey Park and the Crayola factory where Grandpa worked, many visits to the Dollar Tree and diner-style restaurants for toys and treats, and overall the joy of spending time together with loving grandparents.

His granddaughter Rachel remembers him teaching her how to play poker using pretzels and chocolate candies as chips. Occasionally she would even beat him. She also remembers going fishing with him when her grandparents moved to Ohio while Grandma and Rebekah either stayed at home or went to the library. During Rachel’s first attempts at casting a line, she got the line tangled up. She could tell Grandpa was frustrated, but he calmly got the line untied, and she caught several bluegills that day.

He was proud to be Grandpa to his two granddaughters, and he was also grateful to be Papaw to his three great-grandchildren. It was special to him that he and his oldest great-grandchild Ezra shared February birthdays – they were 80 years apart (minus a day).

Whenever his great-grandchildren came to visit him at his house in Millfield, Ohio, he was happy to see them, commenting on how much they had grown, showing them treasures and trinkets around his house like little glass cars and animals, and offering them something sweet to eat – most likely a zebra cake (his favorite). He told his granddaughter Rebekah many times that she had a nice family.

While Papaw never had the opportunity to hold his great-grandson Quentin (he passed while Rachel was still pregnant), Quentin loved listening to his Papaw talk and would vigorously kick whenever he heard Papaw’s voice.

His legacy will continue. His tenacity, stubbornness, strong will to live, and deep loyalty to his family live on, especially in the personality of his three-year-old great-granddaughter Rose, who definitely has a lot of Woomer in her!

In later years, Ken survived numerous heart procedures and many health problems with true Mountain Boy grit.

He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings. He is survived by his wife Alice Woomer of Grove City, Ohio; daughter LaRue (Gary) Basinger of Dublin, Ohio; son Ken (Mary) Woomer of Perry, Georgia; granddaughter Rachel (Cole) Lane of Holly Ridge, North Carolina; granddaughter Rebekah (Daniel) Slonim of Hillsdale, Michigan; great-grandson Ezra Slonim; great-granddaughter Rose Slonim; and great-grandson Quentin Lane.

A funeral will be held Monday, January 13, 2025, at 10:00AM at Schoedinger Funeral Home (5980 Perimeter Drive, Dublin, Ohio 43017). A burial ceremony will follow on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at 1:00PM at Dayton National Cemetery, 4400 W Third Street, Dayton, Ohio 45428.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project at woundedwarriorproject.org or Dementia Friends Ohio at ocfch.org.