KENNETH E. WILSON

Name: KENNETH E. WILSON

Entry Date: 43

Exit Date: 45

Rating:

Status: D: 01/19/2014

“Kenneth Earl Wilson passed away peacefully at Sequoia Springs on January 19, 2014 with his wife, Barbara Glass-Wilson, his daughter, Barbara Anderson, and his loving pet, Missy, by his side. He was born October 5, 1922 in Huntington Beach, California to Earl Hugh Wilson and Grady Louise West. He spent his youth in his hometown, and in December of 1942 Ken enlisted in the Navy and rose to the rank of Lieutenant during his service as a pilot in the Pacific theater of WWII. Following his honorary discharge, Ken attended USC and graduated with a degree in industrial relations in 1949. Following college, Ken took a job with Caltrans, starting in L.A., then to Eureka, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo and finally Sacramento. Each relocation came with a promotion. When he retired in 1980, he had risen to the position of Principle Senior Right of Way Agent. He loved the outdoors and spent many years camping and fishing with his buddies from San Luis Obispo. Never wanting to be idle for too long, though, Ken continued to work following his retirement. Ken gave his time to be a part of the Retired Public Employees association where he represented retired state, county and city employees. In 1992, Ken became the president of the association and worked tirelessly to pass vital legislation within the association, resulting in the improvement of guaranteed pension benefits for retired public employees. This was Ken’s nature, to serve and to support, to give of himself fully and selflessly. Every moment of Ken’s life was spent as empathetically, lovingly and earnestly. His kindness was not only reserved for his friends and family, it extended to strangers, too. He could never walk past someone in need without giving them something to ease their pain. His generosity always came without judgment, from the purest place of love and open-mindedness. Ken met his wife Barbara at a meeting of the CSEA/Golden One Credit Union Building Corporation Committee, where Ken was president. They were both devoted to service and politics and it wasn’t long before Ken relocated to Fortuna, CA to be with Barbara. His love for her could be seen from across the room; it radiated in a way that made it impossible to miss. Ken loved to travel and he and Barbara spent most of their years together travelling with family and friends. Every photo album of their travels is a record of their love for each other and their love for shared experiences. Ken had a wonderful sense of humor and wit. His friends and family loved to hear his stories nearly as much as he loved to tell them. Two stories, in particular, were his favorites. The first story is about a squirrel. Ken was transferred from San Francisco to San Luis Obispo as a Senior Right of Way Agent. His new co-workers all went out to coffee each morning. It was their custom to shag quarters to determine who would pay. When Ken threw his quarter, it only made it halfway to the finish line. All of a sudden, a squirrel dashed out from the bushes to follow the quarter. The squirrel pushed the quarter passed the finish line. His new co-workers immediately accepted Ken and he claimed that no one messed with him after that. The second story was a bit more dramatic. Ken and an attorney from Caltrans were sent to L.A. to testify. The air conditioning in their motel did not work, so when Ken went to the attorney’s room to prepare for the next day, they left the door ajar. Seeing the open door, two men with guns entered the room, ordered them to disrobe and then tied them together with bed sheets. While the armed men were robbing them, they told Ken and the attorney not to look at what they were doing. Ken couldn’t resist and he turned to look at the man who was holding them at gunpoint. The man said, “”I told you not to look.”” Ken’s curiosity got the best of him and he turned to look at the man a second time. “”Can’t you follow simple directions? I told you not to look!”” Once the men had left, Ken remarked that the robbers must have been pretty smart. In two minutes they had figured out that Ken couldn’t follow directions, but it had taken his boss over 20 years. He also remarked that once the robbers had left, the attorney never stopped talking the entire time they were tied up together. Ken said, “”You don’t know what torture is until you’ve been tied up with an attorney.”” Ken was always able to take a heart-stopping and fearful situation and turn it into something hilarious. He refused to take anything too seriously. His laughter and smile will be especially missed. In those days right before his final moments, he thought not of his own pain, but of the pain of his wife and daughter. He soothed their fears by letting them know there was no need to worry, God had already welcomed him into the kingdom of heaven. That was the man Ken was: immeasurably considerate and magnanimous. He is survived by his brother, Ralph Wilson, his stepchildren Brad and Carmen Glass, Ron and Jackie Glass, April and Greg Sproule, his brother-in-law Bart Crews, sister-in-law Verna McKnight, several grandchildren and his favorite dog, Missy Glass-Wilson. Missy spent every possible moment of every day at Ken’s side, nuzzling up against him in his hospital bed while they both napped. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Vera, in 1992 and his son, Richard, in 2011. Ken’s family would like to thank Hospice of Humboldt and the staff at Sequoia Springs for the wonderful and loving care he received. Ken did not want his family to hold a memorial service; however, anyone wishing to make a contribution in Ken’s name may do so by giving to the NRDC at P.O. Box 1830, Merrifield, VA 22116, or at the Food Bank at 307 W. 14th St., Eureka, CA 95501. Please sign the guestbook at www.times-standard.comand click on obituaries.

Published in Eureka Times-Standard from Mar. 5 to Mar. 9, 2014″