The family ran a Holstein dairy farm, and he had a younger brother, Keith and three sisters Eloise, Elaine and Jan.
From birth he was part of "Grace and Truth Gospel Hall," an open Plymouth Brethren "assembly" South of Abilene that later became "Grace & Truth Gospel Chapel" and closed in 2010.
He's buried at Newbern Cemetery in Kansas.
His path into ministry ran through radio.
He won a national FFA speech broadcast as a high school senior in 1942, then served in World War II as a B-24 bomber crewman (variously described as a pilot and as a tail-gunner).
After the war he studied at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and worked as an announcer at Moody's station WMBI — experience that shaped the rest of his life's work.
In 1951 he was commended as a missionary and sailed to the Philippines, initially connected with radio broadcasting (the Far East Broadcasting Company in Manila).
He married Mary Lou Leonard (1930–2003) in San Juan, and they served in the Philippines together until 1975 — nearly a quarter century.
Their work included helping the assembly in Binangonan, and then from 1967 relocating to the mountain city of Baguio (for health reasons), where they helped start a new fellowship — Ken baptized the first four believers in early 1970 and the group eventually built its own chapel.
Along the way he taught at Grace Christian High School, arranged Bible presentations for Philippine Military Academy graduates, and introduced the Christian Service Brigade boys' club to the Philippines.
Their ministry continued through the imposition of martial law in 1972.
After returning to the U.S. in 1975, Ken and Mary Lou served as commended workers at Grace & Truth Gospel Chapel in Abilene, Kansas, until her death in 2003.
He kept up preaching, music, hospital chaplaincy, and especially gospel radio — producing programs such as Moments of Melody, Moment to Remember, The Emmaus Bible Hour, and What the Bible Teaches (one source documents 1,046 radio programs through "Voices for Christ").
His life verse was Colossians 1:28.
He and Mary Lou had six children — Becky, Karen, Kevin, Stan, Gordon, and Doug — plus many grandchildren.
He went to be with the Lord whom he loved and served, November 5, 2009.
