Ken grew up on a family farm outside Wentzville, Missouri. In 1944, he joined the Army and, after training, served in the Philippines. In 1946, upon his honorable discharge, Ken returned to Missouri. Soon thereafter, a mentor’s advice and the G.I. Bill made him the first in his family to attend college. He attended Northeast Missouri State Teachers College (now Truman State University), in Kirksville, Missouri. In 1950, he married Lois A. Beger, who was also attending Northeast Missouri State.
Ken and Lois were blessed with three children Kenneth Jr., Dennis & Sharon, six grandchildren Justin, Kelly, Katie Rose, Noah, Noelle, Nikolas and a great-grandson Liam. In 2010, Ken’s beloved wife of 60 years predeceased him.
Ken built a career in public education. He started at Mazon High School in Mazon, Illinois, teaching agricultural economics and science. He spent the 1963-64 school year at the University of Missouri (in Columbia, MO) earning a master’s degree. He then accepted a position as a high school guidance counselor at West Leyden High School in Northlake, Illinois, where he remained until he retired in 1994.
The West Leyden position brought him to Glendale Heights, where he lived from 1964 until his passing. During his children’s youth, he served as Pack Leader for Cub Scout Pack #357. Ken loved to travel. In 1968, he and Lois bought a Jayco crank-up camper, which the family used for summer road trips. Favorite destinations were the Black Hills of South Dakota, Pelican Lake in Minnesota, and the family farm in Missouri.
Visitation will be at Cypress Funeral Home, 1698 North Bloomingdale Road, Glendale Heights, IL 60139, Friday March 2 (4:00 - 9:00 p.m.) and Saturday March 3 (10:30 - 11:30 a.m.). In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a gift to the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease Center at Northwestern University’s School of Medicine (http://www.brain.northwestern.edu/about/giving.html).
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