Kenneth Eads passed away peacefully on October 9, 2020 after living an incredible 95 years. Kenneth was born to a railroad machinist and homemaker in Independence, Missouri. His younger brother was born 10 years later, and around that time that the family moved to a farm in Sedalia, Missouri, where they would stay for the rest of Kenneth’s younger years. The family of four lived a simple country life, and Kenneth loved it. He went to a one-room schoolhouse 3 miles down a dirt road, he hunted and fished and roamed the woods that surrounded their modest house with his hound dog. Eventually after completing school, he returned to Independence.
Kenneth found work as a Western Union lineman, a job that required employees to climb 20-foot poles and splice electrical wire. His job also required him to travel regularly, typically to remote areas and no-name towns. Kenneth was perfectly suited for this environment, having spent most of his life on a farm. He also rarely felt the need for conversation and didn’t socialize much, until the day he saw Vera Hernandez while working in San Antonio. To this day, we still don’t know the details of how their love story began, but we know Kenneth was instantly smitten, and she married him within a few months. Vera left her family in San Antonio to live with her husband in Independence, where they would raise their four children and build a perfectly simple happy life together.
Kenneth was able to retire at 57 from Southwestern Bell. He spent his time collecting antiques and guns, organizing garage sales every few months, playing with his grandkids, and visiting the farm in Sedalia. He never was known for conversation, but Vera was, and they complemented each other in a way that we rarely see. As the saying goes, still waters run deep, and Kenneth was a highly principled man. He was a staunch conservative and Christian, a proud NRA member, values he passed on to his children. He didn’t need to argue because he already knew the answer, and it was the right one. His family and close friends knew what Kenneth would say or do in just about any situation, and this gave him a calming presence. If we were unsure, he was unwavering. And when it had to be done, he let us make our mistakes because he knew all too well that we had to learn the hard way sometimes. He never made us feel ashamed when we inevitably made those mistakes, but he would sneak in an “I told you so” with a sly, subtle grin. He was always ready with an outstretched hand to help us up when we fell, and that unconditional love made us want to be better and make him proud.
We hope we made you proud, Kenneth. We love you and miss you more than words can say.
Kenneth was the first of two sons of Walter and Beatrice Eads who have all preceded him in death, including his brother Keith. His wife Vera and great grandson Chance also preceded him. He is survived by four children which include Robert Eads of Independence, MO, Barbara Urban and her husband Mickey of Las Vegas, NV, David Eads and his wife Corrie of Las Vegas, NV, and Patricia Howell and her husband Jim of Lone Jack, MO.
Kenneth leaves 6 grandchildren including Warren Winkler, Jeff Winkler, Emily Panagos, Anny Eads, Erica Miller, and Dillon Howell. Kenneth also has 14 great grand children as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews that loved him greatly.
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