Ken (nickname Bear) was a leader from the time he was in school playing little league baseball.Integrity and teamwork were very important to him. He was one of the few true gentlemen left today and would never allow a lady to enter a room without standing to greet her. He would give you the shirt off his back and was kind to total strangers. He won a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh for baseball and he recently lamented to me that it was a lousy 2/10 of a second in running speed that cost him a place on a professional team. His coaches loved him and he was also polite and respectful to all those in command.
He was incredibly intelligent, in fact the most intelligent man I ever met, and retained facts like a computer. However, he frustrated his teachers no end when he preferred to joke around with his friends than apply himself diligently to his studies.
However, in college he did finally apply himself to his studies and obtained a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh and later graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. While there he was a very proud member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and both he and his good friend Groovy Greg were notorious for getting up to no good and causing mischief.
He also gained a masters degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Finance and Public Policy.
From the very start of his career, Ken was a customer driven professional with a wealth of experience in sales, marketing and service.
He was an effective multi-tasker with keen attention to detail. He was a Respected team player known for dependability and commitment to achieving goals. He was an effective communicator who was always polished and professional, yet warm and engaging. He had proven team forming and motivational skills and delivered unmatched loyalty.
After college He held several high status jobs in companies such as Mellon Bank, H.j Heinz , Sony and also several in Ireland. In one company in Ireland where he was director of sales and marketing he managed to bring professionalism to an office that lacked direction and designed meaningful strategies that resulted in dramatic growth. His work in this company alone delivered incredible results increasing the company's revenues by more than $2.5 million Euros in 14 months.
From the very start of his career, Ken was a customer driven professional with a wealth of experience in sales, marketing and service.
He was an effective multi-tasker with keen attention to detail. He was a Respected team player known for dependability and commitment to achieving goals. He was an effective communicator who was always polished and professional, yet warm and engaging. He had proven team forming and motivational skills and delivered unmatched loyalty.
However, in 1998 Ken finally discovered his true calling.He had become bored by the corporate world and was head hunted by the Department of Defense He was trained to gather and analyze intelligence and recommend tactics and strategies which in no small part helped to shape AMerican policies. He served with distinction for the D.O.D and was deployed to forward positions in Kuwait, Iran and Afghanistan and traveled all over the world.
Again his leadership skills gained him recognition as a trusted and loved leader of many men. He was seriously injured by sniper gun fire losing both knees and was severely injured when an Improvised explosive device almost killed him. He was then forced to move from operations to intelligence and subsequently worked out of United States EMbassies throughout the world identifying, coordinating and thwarting terrorism He received numerous rewards and finally retired two years ago as Major Rose.
I met the love of my life in October 2003 and after just 4 months courtship, we married on St Valentine’s Day in 2004. We lived 5 short years in Ireland and Ken became like a son to my mother who was severely disabled. He took on the role of caretaker and nursed her until we lost her in 2007. I will forever be grateful to my darling Ken and my mother’s last words were that she loved “her big American Son-in-law.
We moved to Tampa in 2009 and planned a happy retirement together. Unfortunately this never happened as his health deteriorated and the pain from his injuries got worse. He was my rock, my soulmate, my lover and my best friend. Life will never be the same again for me.
During our twenty years of marriage Ken always emphasized the need to do every task however, menial to the very best of one’s ability because it reflects on one’s character. One of his favorite sayings was “Never confuse efforts with results”. He was always on time and took great pride in his ability to get along with coworkers and superiors. He never drank or did recreational drugs and refused to let anything prevent him from finishing his tasks on time. Unfortunately in recent years he was plagued by horrific PTSD and many times reverted back to the war zones, at times not recognizing me but mistaking me for a fellow combat veteran.
He was kind, gentle and considerate and even during the last week of his life he took care of me, packing my lunch box every day. On the day before he passed I found a note in my lunch box written in red ink stating simply “I love you” with a big red heart! The day he passed he got me up early, got me breakfast, helped me get ready for work and when I kissed him goodbye I told him I was so lucky to have a husband like him. He joked and said “Don’t go telling everyone that I have a soft side! You hear!”
Rest in peace my sweet darling Bear. I look forward to the day I can see you again. All of my love Budgie.
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