Sergeant Tony's Blog

It is with profound and painful sadness that I must inform The Battalion of the loss of our dear friend, Ken Kenworthy.

Ken passed away Monday night.

In late October, Ken was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer. After intense radiation and chemotherapy, he was doing very well; returning to work, duck hunting, and even making plans to return to Boot Camp in a few weeks. Things suddenly turned horribly bad and Ken slipped away from us quickly.

Ken joined the 0530 Alpha Company of USMC Fitness Boot Camp five years ago and was always present unless out of town. According to his family, Boot Camp was a very important part of his life. And Ken was an important part of our lives as well. His corny corny jokes and constant interruptions were a staple of the 0530 Boot Camp experience. Ken, and his wife Sherrie, even hosted the third year anniversary party of USMC Fitness Boot Camp in their home! An evening that produced stories that I still tell.

I cannot improve upon the words of Ken’s colleague, Ben Adams, who wrote:
“Much more important than any of this is the loss of Ken as a person who touched all those around him. In his understated way, he was very passionate about anything he cared about which was a lot. I could talk at length about Ken’s many wonderful qualities but at the moment I want to highlight two. You would be hard pressed to find someone more intensely loyal than Ken or with a more generous heart. He will be greatly missed but always remembered by many dear friends and colleagues. Please keep Sherrie, his wife of over 40 years, and their 2 daughters in your thoughts and prayers.”

Visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 14 at St. John’s Episcopal Church; the funeral is scheduled for Thursday, March 15 at 2 p.m. at St. John’s.

Tony
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