Kenneth Peter Piester, age 90 of Sanford, Florida, passed away peacefully on April 6, 2021. He was born in Hudson, New York on April 11th, 1930. His childhood years were spent in Ancram, New York; he attended Roe-Jan Central School; graduated from Cornell University College of Agriculture where he played trumpet in the ‘Big Red Band’. After college he lived and worked at the Hermitage Farm as a dairy farmer and later became a Columbia County Extension Agent/Educator for 25 years before retiring.
He was preceded in death by his father, Peter; his mother, Gladys; his brother, Wendell; and sisters, Marilyn and Jean. He is survived by Marion, his wife of 68 years; his three daughters, Susan (Michael) Belemjian, Tricia Piester and Carol (David) Wellendorf; his nine grandchildren, Paul, Brian, Rebekah, Jessica, Elizabeth, Christine, Christopher, Nathan and Hannah; his 18 great grandchildren; and his two ‘adopted’ children, son Tony and daughter Katheleen.
Ken was an active community member where he served as a Gideon, ministered at the Columbia County Jail for 25 years, sang in the Community Choir, and held several leadership positions at church, including being Co-Founder of Clermont Bible Church. His other interests included gardening, spending time with family, and taking mission trips to Guatemala to help as a farm advisor.
He leaves behind a legacy of love, humor, honor, respect for God and Jesus Christ, His personal savior, and his entire family.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to New Horizons Foundation, ATTN: Transformation Project 5550 Tech Center Drive, Suite 303, Colorado Springs, CO 80919. Please include 'Transformation Project-Dave Crist' on check or online contribution. An additional memorial donation option would be to Hospice at Adventhealth.com/supporthospice
