Kenneth C Farrelly

Ken, 82, passed away on Sunday evening, 6/20/21, at his home in Fort Mill, SC. His timing was poetic being it was Father’s Day and all three of his children and his wife had been by his side the entire day to celebrate him. On that day his family enjoyed his favorite foods like shrimp cocktail and fish & chips, and reminisced.

Born on February 24, 1939 in Detroit, MI, he was a son of the late George and Henrietta Farrelly, and the second youngest of eight children, 3 girls and 5 boys (Patricia, Jean, Marilyn, George, Gordon, Allen, and Donald). Ken was preceded in death by his parents, Patricia, George and Allen.

Ken went to St. Joseph’s Catholic School. He was a butcher at the A&P grocery store where he met his wife, Marilyn Ruth Brisley, when she would frequent the store running errands for her mother. She would ask her mother if the family needed more meat just so she could go see her sweetheart. Ken would write little notes to Marilyn on the white butcher paper and referred to her fondly as Bubbles. They married on October 1, 1960 and had their first child, Gregory, in 1961. Their second child, another boy named Steven, was born in 1964. And then came their last child, a girl named Sharon born in 1969. Their family was complete.

He was a machinist by trade, specializing in automotive prototypes and aerospace products, working the majority of his career at Schwartz Industries in Warren, MI. The highlight of his work was programming and machining a part on the Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA space shuttle program.

Ken was enthusiastic about bowling and was on two leagues simultaneously, a men’s league during the week and couple’s on the weekends. He even splurged on a Brunswick Rhino bowling ball (anyone that knows him is aware he was thrifty and this was a big expense). He was 2 pins from a perfect score once!

His other joy was maintaining his lawn. He prided himself on having one of the best manicured lawns in the neighborhood. If his wife could not find him in the house he could be found outside tinkering in the garage and listening to AM radio.

Ken is survived by his wife and kids, as well as five grandchildren. Ken and Marilyn were married for 61 years.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be on Friday, June 25, 2021 at 11:00 am at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 292 Munn Rd., Fort Mill, SC 29715.

Please join the family for a memorial and Celebration of Life service on Wednesday, 7/14/21, from 1 to 4 pm at Ike’s Restaurant (38550 Van Dyke Ave, Sterling Heights, MI 48312) in the ballroom. A full meal will be served.

For those wishing to send memorial gifts, please consider the Scleroderma Foundation (www.scleroderma.org) or Amyloidosis Foundation (www.amyloidosis.org).

Online condolences may be shared at www.mcewenpinevillechapel.com.