THORP, Kenneth E, 88, died October 5, 2014 in Bloomfield Twp. He was born in Howard City, MI and was a 1944 graduate of St. Thomas High School in Ann Arbor. During WWII he was an engineering midshipman in the Merchant Marine Cadet Corps on a troop ship in the Pacific War Zone. He graduated from U of Michigan engineering school in 1949 and served as an officer in the Navy Civil Engineering Corps (Seabees) prior to starting his business career. He spent 31 years in the metalworking industry of which the last 20 years were at the general or group management level. Upon retirement in 1985 he operated his own company as a business finder.
He was a resident of the Sarasota area from 1989 to 2013. His 6 children, 13 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren survive him. The children are Dr. Kenneth Thorp Jr. of Williamston, MI, Dr. James Thorp of Pensacola, FL, John Thorp of Petoskey, MI, Joseph Thorp of Houston, TX, Mary Batchik of Sylvan Lake, MI, and Amy Veenbaas of Rolling Meadows, IL. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzeimer's Association at www.alz.org.
