Kenneth Kaye

Ken Kaye of East Haven Connecticut, died Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at Yale New Haven Hospital from multiple organ failures. He had family and husband by his side. Ken was born in Brooklyn, New York on February 3, 1951 to the late Samuel and Ruth Kaye. He was raised in West Hempstead, New York with his older sister Barbara and younger sister Nancy. Through hard work and determination, by the late 1970’s, Ken lived and worked in New York City and had established himself as a well-known artist, specializing in pallet knife oil paintings with gallery representation around the country and operating his own gallery in SOHO. As Ken often said, “I just paint. It’s up for others to determine if I’m an artist.” Along the way, Ken bred and showed champion Chow Chow dogs. Also along the way, in the summer of 2002, Ken met and fell in love with Jim Harding (an architect) while Jim was working at Yale New Haven Hospital. They lived and worked in NYC, but decided to spend their final years at their home in East Haven, CT. With a home and yard to tend, Ken became a Registered Master Gardener through the State of Connecticut Program and a registered rosarian… in order to grow what he would paint. Ken also used his rosarian skills to volunteer tending roses for the Town of East Haven and the Town of New Haven at the Pardee Rose Garden. If people wish to contribute or donate money to a cause dear to Ken, they can send a check made out to "Commission of Public Parks" and on the memo line "Ken Kaye Memorial Fund". Please mail checks to the attention of Gary Dickinson, Pardee Rose Garden, 180 Park Rd., Hamden, Ct 06517. If people prefer, they can also donate to their local kidney transplant foundation, And please do not forget to sign an organ donor card.

A graveside funeral service is scheduled for 11:00 am on May 21, 2023 at Beth Moses Cemetery: 1500 Wellwood Ave, West Babylon, NY 11704.