Kenneth Ray Smith passed from this life on to his eternal home on May 26, 2018 in Little Elm, Texas. Ken was born on July 27, 1952 to his parents, Morgan Wayne Smith and Virginia Claudine Burleson in Dallas, Texas. Ken was the youngest child out of five children, growing up with two older brothers and two older sisters. A fun fact about Ken, as a teen, he once appeared on a local live dance show called Sump’n Else at North Park Center in Dallas.
Ken graduated from Richardson High School. He was very talented when it came to working with his hands. Sometimes fixing things before anyone else knew they needed fixing. If it needed to be fixed, Ken was the person to call. He was a hard worker who worked as an apartment maintenance supervisor and later managed multiple storage facilities. He was a jack of all trades.
Ken married the love of his life, Debra Ann Bufkin, and together, they had 46 years full of love and laughter. Ken first met Debra when she was hitchhiking home from Kip’s Big Boy with her best friend. He saw they needed a ride and borrowed his friend’s corvette to pick them up. A month later, they met up again at a local pool hall where he taught Debra how to play pool. They were together ever since. Some might say they can still hear him yelling “Debbie” which was his “term of endearment” for I need something. Ken and Debra had a daughter, Stephanie. He was so proud of his daughter. Ken was known not to brag about himself, but he would brag about his only daughter to anyone that would listen.
Ken had a loving soul that knew no strangers. If he met you, he was going to be your friend whether you wanted one or not. He was very generous and would give the shirt off of his back to those in need. He developed a love of movies, especially action or history films. If he could be reincarnated, he would want to be brought back as an action hero like James Bourne. He also was a fan of country music like Lady Antebellum and Toby Keith. There was a joke that you better hide the jukebox or prepare to listen to “I Love this Bar” all night. His favorite place to be was Lake Tahoe, and he enjoyed having a good margarita.
Ken was preceded in death by his father, Morgan Smith; his brothers, Richie Smith and Everett Smith; and a beloved pet boxer, Cali Noel. He was survived by his mother, Virginia Smith of Dallas, Texas; his wife, Debra Smith of Little Elm, Texas; his daughter, Stephanie Lipski and her husband, Kevin, of McKinney, Texas; and his sisters, Wanda McKinney and Elise Ledbetter.
Ken was loved while he was with us here on earth, and will be continued to be loved through time and all eternity.
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