Ken Horton

Radio broadcast engineer and kind encourager of souls, Kenneth Horton's love of life didn't end when he passed. May all readers here be blessed with remembrance of Ken's humor, zest for all that is possible under the stars, within nature, and with each other.

Ken Horton, of Omaha, NE, and later Santa Monica, CA, died at 80 on April 19, 2022. Born May 3, 1941, in Omaha, NE, to Orin and Katherine Horton. Ken graduated from Benson High School in 1959 and attended Iowa State University. In his teens, Ken created a business making walnut dashboards for sports cars and cabinets for stereo equipment. He had a lifelong interest in radio and electronics. He worked many years as a radio broadcast engineer, beginning with a year with the Merchant Marines and then many years for KFRC San Francisco. In the 1980's Ken lived a year in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, working as a radio engineer for an oil producer. Eventually, he landed with KCRW FM, broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College. It was here where his lifelong love of eclectic music blossomed. Ken then started his own business, designing and installing home theaters for several years.

Ken was very active and social and loved being with and meeting new people, going places, especially in nature, and trying new things. Ordinary errands were an adventure with Ken. In addition, he enjoyed and excelled at photography and compiling and recording music in various genres. You invariably were given a mixed tape or two if you knew Ken, with songs selected especially for you - and perhaps also a nickname that is unique just to you. His heart was overflowing.

Ken had a brief marriage with the late Gretchen Fischer and is survived by his daughter, Julia Horton (aka "Pia"), and grandson Arthur Fishel, of Palm Harbor, FL, and his former wife Joan Skolimowski and daughter Raphaela Fritz (aka "Radi") of North Carolina, brother Paul Horton (aka "The Babe") and wife Linda, in Lincoln, NE, niece Lisa in Lincoln, NE, and nephew Jim in PA.

Condolences and remembrances may be left with the Whites Funeral Home in Bellflower, CA

https://tinyurl.com/kenhorton or whitesmortuary.com and search by name.