Kenneth Richard Smiley

Kenneth Richard Smiley, 88, of Lady Lake, Florida, passed away June 16, 2016. Ken was born in Dayton, Ohio on October 23, 1927. He went on to graduate from Stivers High School in 1945. After a semester of college at the University of Dayton, Ken enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was assigned to Corpus Christie, Texas and Pensacola, Florida where he performed 1st and 2nd echelon maintenance on aircraft radio equipment. After being discharged from the Navy in December of 1947, Ken was employed at the Monsanto Chemical plant in Miamisburg, Ohio, working on the building of atomic weapons triggers. In February of 1948 Ken married Frances Patricia Knauss in Dayton, Ohio and began to raise a family shortly thereafter. John Richard was born in 1951 and Timothy Scott in 1954. While in Dayton, Ken joined the Free Masons and would remain a member for over 60 years. Looking to merge his enthusiasm for technology and want to build a career, he picked up and moved his family to Florida to become involved in the aerospace industry at the Cape. Ken and Pat soon found a home in Orlando and a church family at Azalea Park United Methodist Church. Ken would soon find a new career opportunity when he was hired at Martin Marietta Aerospace in Orlando. He would build a career at Martin spanning over 33 years including stints on the Pershing and TADS/PNVS projects. The family would grow with the birth of Jeffrey Ray in 1965. Ken became involved in Alzheimer’s research and support when Pat was diagnosed with the disease. He traveled across the country looking for any medical assistance that could be found for his wife. Pat would pass away in late 1990. Once Ken was retired, he moved to The Villages in Lady Lake, Florida, to pursue his love of golf. It was here he met Betty Neverman who would become his best friend and companion for the remainder of his life. In April of 2016, Ken moved back to Orlando to be close to family as his health deteriorated. He would pass away on June 16th, surrounded by family. Ken is survived by his sons and their wives: Rick and Cheryl, Tim and Candy, Jeff and Sandy; as well as his grandchildren: Lynette, Robert, David, Michael, Matthew, Ricky, Jacob, and Joshua. Funeral services for Kenneth Richard Smiley will be held on Saturday June 25th at 6:00 P.M. at Azalea Park United Methodist Church. Please join us as we celebrate the life of our father.