Kenneth Coburn

Born and raised in Chelsea, Mass., Ken was the son of Myer and Marion (Resnick) Coburn. His family moved to Malden during high school, and after graduation, he went right into business with his father at Coburn Auto Parts, eventually extending the business to include engine repair. Later on, he moved the shop to Peabody and ran the business until his retirement.

Kenny met his wife, Anita (nee Schenk, z”l), in Florida while each was on vacation. Since she lived in Chicago, they dated long-distance before marrying in 1959. During their 55 years of marriage, they welcomed two daughters and three granddaughters.

In his younger days, Ken enjoyed tennis, squash, badminton, ping pong, and racquetball, and he also practiced aikido, just like his father. For most of his life, he was also an avid bridge player. He loved zoos and brought his family to them as often as he could. He also loved having summer barbeques at his pool, grilling for 75 people at a time. For fun, he liked to study maps and atlases, and he read several newspapers every day to keep up with what was going on in the world.

Kenny and Anita were among the first members of Temple Beth Shalom (now Temple Tiferet Shalom) in Peabody, a congregation that meant so much to them. Ken served on the temple board as Chairman of the House Committee and sang in the choir. He was also a long-time member of the local B’nai B’rith chapter and ran the B’nai B’rith booth at Topsfield Fair for many years.

After his wife passed away, Ken felt fortunate to have had two other special partners in his life, Vita Freedman (z”l) and Elaine Hepworth.

Kenneth leaves behind his daughters, Robin McMahon and Jodi Coburn; his sister, Rhonda Fisher; his son-in-law, Steven Blumenkrantz; his granddaughter, Melissa McMahon, who took such wonderful care of him; his granddaughters, Lindsay and Haley Blumenkrantz; and a niece and many nephews.

Arrangements were private. Following Jewish tradition and in lieu of flowers, donations in Ken’s memory may be made to Temple Tiferet Shalom of Peabody.