Capt. Kenneth Ryan Cherry

Captain Kenneth Ryan Cherry was a loving and passionate friend, brother, son, and husband. He was born in San Diego on August 23, 1987, as the youngest of six children. He grew up in a Navy family and spent his formative years in Ridgecrest and San Diego, California. Driven by a desire to defend his Nation and support his fellow man, Ken enrolled in the Air Force Junior ROTC program at Scripps Ranch High School where he competed on the Armed Drill Team and discovered his natural leadership ability. He then attended college at San Diego State University and their Air Force ROTC program, where his devotion to teamwork and camaraderie where apparent to everyone he met. While in ROTC, he faced his fears and attended the Air Force Free Fall Course at the United States Air Force Academy where he earned his Parachutist Badge or “Jump Wings” that he will wear proudly on his chest forever. After graduation, Ken was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. He attended training at Goodfellow AFB, and was later stationed at Beale AFB where he married Sarah Thompson. Ken later joined Sarah at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii. While at Hickam, Ken thrived both professionally and in his personal life. He deployed overseas in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM & OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE. Ken made time to follow his passions of SCUBA diving, running, hiking, & snorkeling as well as pressing his limits with parasailing and jet-packs. He followed adventure everywhere he went and lived his life to the fullest. Ken is survived by his wife, Sarah; his siblings and their spouses, Jesse & Jenny, Christopher & Michelle, Adam & Monee, Danica & Andrew, Matthew & Jill, Shannon, Faith, and Edward; and his mother Tammy, and his father Martin & wife Estelle. Ken was a military hero, a true friend, a beloved brother, a devoted son, and a loving husband. He will be missed by all that knew him. A viewing will be held at the Pacific Beach Memorial Chapel on Wednesday, the 8th of July, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Captain Kenneth “Chip” Ryan Cherry will be laid to rest with full military honors on Thursday, the 9th of July at 2:00 p.m. at the Pacific Beach Memorial Chapel. He will be interned at the Miramar National Cemetery. “Life is eternal; and love is immortal; and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing but the limit of our sight.” -Rossiter W. Raymond “You - you alone will have the stars as no one else has them...In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night...You - only you - will have stars that can laugh.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry “Do everything in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14)