Kenneth Allan Caeti was born on August 1, 1962 in Elmhurst, Illinois to Joanne (Steffens) and Philip Caeti. He was the first of their four beloved children: Kenneth, Kathy, Sue and Steve. Kind & caring from childhood on, Ken was especially fond of his younger brother Steve. In addition to his loving parents and siblings, Ken had a favorite uncle: referred to always as, Uncle Mike, Uncle Mike! It’s because of Mike’s bald head, that Ken believed no one should ever wear a hat. Uncle Mike, Aunt Carol, their daughter Shelly, cousins Jackie and Al and their daughters, were among those in Ken’s family that spent time with and loved Ken throughout the years. Ken’s father Phil and brother Steve, preceded him in death.
Although it may not have be instantly apparent, the fact that Ken had had three marriages may have made him a ladies man. Just out of college Ken had married Angela, an initial prize that quickly turned sour. After moving to Michigan and attending Bethany Divorce support group, Ken met Lori Cook. Despite her having a terminal illness, Ken and Lori fell in love, married and were active members of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Redford. Like Ken, she shared a passion for sports. Lori preceded him in death in January, 2000. Then, along came Anita.
It was a God-cidence that brought Ken and Anita together at a grief support group; each having lost a spouse to death. In Ken’s words, “we are two broken people that together make a whole.” Although an unlikely pairing, Ken brought a calming peace to Anita’s life. Throughout their 16 years of marriage, Ken maintained his promise to always support and care for Anita and her two adult son’s, Matthew and Mark Baran. Ken and Anita danced, when Matthew and his wife Preethi were married. They rejoiced at becoming grandparents to Matt and Preethi’s children, Kailash and Sahana. All of us were looking forward to celebrating Mark and his fiancé Monica’s wedding this May. Anita’s entire network of family and friends became Ken’s family and friends too. Ken always said, Anita’s parents, Raymond and Nancy, had the best B&B in Michigan and were the best in-laws anyone could ever have. To death, Anita lovingly cared for Ken at home, assisted by Angela Hospice.
Throughout his 57 years, Ken made lifelong friends. He attended Bensenville grammar school, then Fenton High School from 1976-79. His senior year, the Caeti’s moved to Carol Stream. Ken graduated from Glenbard High School in 1980. In 1984, Ken graduated with a B.S. in Business from University of Illinois in Champaign. Ken enjoyed playing in his school band: secretly aspiring to be a member of the University of So Cal’s Trojan Marching Band playing Tusk with Fleetwood Mac!
Ken’s first job was at National Register. He then was recruited to 3M, as an outside sales rep, in Chicago. When asked why he should be chosen over the many other candidates, Ken simply replied: because I’ll work harder and longer than any of the others. 3M hired Ken, then later transferred him to their Abrasives division in Michigan. Ken completed his career with nearly 20 years at STAPLES, as an Inside Account Representative. Ken’s solid work ethic, combined with his gentle, humble, yet strong and resilient nature, earned Ken many accolades over his impressive sales career. His coworkers can attest that Ken lived by these quotes from Winston Churchill and from his favorite Rocky movie: “Never, Never, Never Give Up” and “It’s not the knock-downs that define us”….
Ken died amid a pandemic: rest assured, Ken did not have the COVID-19 virus. Ken did have long-standing heart and lung conditions which initially began when he received a devastating diagnosis of Lymphoma at age 19 years. Surgery, chemo and radiation were successful treatments. However, by age 37 the chemo had destroyed his heart valves causing Ken to have a heart attack and heart bypass surgery. Radiation scarring started affecting his lungs about 6 years ago, causing significant pulmonary issues. In January of this year, Ken began having signs of heart failure. Multiple doctors and tests later, it was recently discovered that Ken’s heart failure was terminal. For years, Ken had always said Anita can retire, but he would die at his desk. Ken did his best to make that statement a reality. For a man that endured all the health challenges he did, it’s remarkable that Ken worked up until Thursday, March 19, 2020. Makes calling in for the sniffles seem insignificant, doesn’t it?
Besides family and work, Ken had a passion for chocolate, baseball and fantasy sports. Ken was a loyal fan of the Detroit Tiger’s. Given the chance, Ken would talk for hours about the game! Ken also followed Fantasy Sports. He was proud to be the Staples league coordinator and humbled to be champ on several occasions. Lenny Melnick, radio host of MLB.com Fantasy Sports was Ken’s friend. For the last couple years, Ken contributed a fan-feel scoop on the Detroit Tigers for Lenny to use during his Podcast.
Ken Caeti was a Man of God. Pastor Scott Sessler and the Men’s group at Emmanuel Lutheran remained a strength and support to Ken’s final breath. Among the many passages in the Bible, Ken always liked the New Testament passage where Paul encouraged us to persevere and with God, all things are possible. Ken ran with endurance, the race that God had set before him. He ran it with dignity and faith. As Ken left his earthly life, imagine the crowd of witnesses that welcomed him with cheers and encouragement. And as Ken was wrapped in the arms of Jesus…..can’t you just hear Him say, "Welcome Home Good and Faithful Servant." Ken, you will always be loved and dearly missed. Go now, and rest in Peace.
Please direct any donations in Ken’s name to the following:
operationsmile.org, parkinson.org or any COVID-19 resource relief effort.
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