Kenneth Robert McEwen

Kenneth Robert McEwen, 81 years old, passed on January 18th in his adopted hometown of Jacksonville, Florida with the support and love of his family and friends. Ken was born in Atlanta, Georgia on May 27, 1943, to loving parents, Ira Von and Iona Friddle McEwen.

Ken was a graduate of Decatur High School in Atlanta, where he was the starting quarterback of the football team and a loveable, humor-filled young man. After graduation, he moved to Jacksonville where he earned a business degree from Jacksonville University. After several years in the banking industry while also serving a member of the Air Force Reserves, Ken took on a full-time position in the contracting office of the Florida Air National Guard, stationed in Jacksonville. He remained a guard officer until his retirement in 2002, earning the ultimate designation of Master Sergeant.

While in school at JU, Ken met Charlene McEwen, whom he married in September 1964. They lived in Jacksonville for the entirety of their 60 years of marriage, giving birth to four children: John (1969), David (1970), Deborah (1973), and Brian (1979). A dedicated and kind father, Ken served proudly as mentor, role model, lovingly biased baseball coach, and forward-thinking disciplinarian. He was a passionate golfer and big fan of JU basketball, Florida Gator football, and, of course, his beloved Jacksonville Jaguars, a team he admired so much that he became the head of parking security for their stadium in his early retirement years. Ken took full advantage of his children’s travels and new places of residence in their adult lives, visiting some of the most scenic parts of California, the desert southwest, and regions afar in Italy and Germany.

Ken is predeceased by Brian McEwen (2003) and survived by Charlene, John (Jacksonville), David (Chapel Hill, North Carolina), and Deborah (Verona, Italy), all of whom loved and supported him until his final days. His family owes a debt of gratitude to Jim Yackey for the love and kindness he provided his friend Ken in his final days and for all the Brierwood neighbors, new, old, and no longer with us, for everything they meant to Ken, Charlene, and the entire McEwen family since 1984.

Services will be held at 1PM on Friday, January 24, 2025, at Hardage-Giddens Oaklawn Chapel at 4801 San Jose Blvd, Jacksonville, Florida. Pastor Bob Hovey will lead the services in Ken’s celebration of life.