Ken Studenski

Ken was born on June 23, 1930, to William and Mae Studenski in Detroit, Michigan. After Ken graduated from high school, he went on to study accounting at University of Detroit and served his country in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He then worked as an accountant at Fisher Body in Detroit before volunteering for a “new department” called “data processing.” It was there that Ken met his wife Betty (Fascko). They soon married and spent the next 64 wonderful years together. Ken and Betty had three daughters, Dana (Scott) Newman, Paula (Steve Salter) Kot, and Rachelle (Rick) Kniffen; seven grandchildren, Ryan Kot, Grant (Molly) Newman, Shannon Kot, Taylor Newman, Andrea Jarois, Cheyenne (Brian) Downes, and Cameron Kniffen; and four great-grandchildren, Makalah Pahl, Clive Newman, Elliott Jarois, and Alec Newman. Ken is predeceased in death by his brothers Reginald Studenski and Terry Budnick, and survived by his sister, Beverly (Stan) Christensen, and brother, Tim Budnick.

Ken overcame tremendous adversity as a young man, but you wouldn’t have known it. He never complained. He never played the victim, and he never paid that pain forward to those under his care. Instead, Ken’s legacy was one of quiet strength and deep commitment to his family. Betty had a husband who loved her (and her cooking) well, worked hard to put food on the table, and came home to his family every night. His daughters had a dad who coached their softball games, loved their husbands like they were his own sons, and showed their children how to golf, bowl, invest, and explore the world. And his grandchildren always knew that during every game, concert, play, or graduation, they could look up and see Grandpa Ken in the stands, cheering them onward. It is a rare man who consistently puts his family’s needs over his own and enjoys his work and leisure without being consumed by them. Ken was such a man.

Ken’s ashes will be laid to rest at Great Lakes National Cemetery. A Celebration of Life service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Leader Dogs for the Blind, an organization Ken supported because his family loves it deeply.