Kenneth W. Jewell, aged 91, passed away on Friday evening, May 16, 2014.
Ken was born to Raymond and Veda Jewell on May 12, 1923, in Erie, Pennsylvania. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, attended Tufts University, where he played football, and later graduated from Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania.
After completing his education, Ken worked for the American Sterilizer Company in Erie, a company that manufactured hospital equipment. At AMSCO he worked in several different capacities, including being a technical writer, writing manuals for various sterilizers, operating manuals, lights, etc., and as a planner, laying out floor plans for hospital wings and designing operating rooms.
Ken married Marilynn in 1948, with whom he had four children. In addition to his wife, he is survived by three of their children and eight grandchildren: Christine Jewell and her husband, Bill Abbott; Raymond Jewell and his wife, Donatella; William Jewell, and his wife, Carol; Mitchell Jewell, Douglas Jewell, Martin Lochner and his wife, Renee, Samuel Lochner, Kevin Jewell, Kendra Jewell, Laura Jewell Novack and her husband, Douglas, Carley Jewell; and Rosemary Jewell, widow of Ken’s son, Kenneth R. Jewell, who predeceased him. Ken is also survived by his sister, Marjorie Haws, and her two daughters, Beverly and Pamela.
Ken was talented, both musically and artistically. He showed his musical talent at an early age, playing the piano exceptionally well. In fact, he played so beautifully that he played the piano on the radio at the early age of twelve. With all of this talent, Ken was always unassuming. Throughout his life he quietly pursued his interest in music by playing the piano, composing songs, singing with choral groups, and performing in musicals, often as a soloist. He continued to write by telling stories to his children and writing stories for his grandchildren. He drew hundreds of pictures on envelopes for letters written to us all.
Most of all, Ken will be remembered for his love of family.
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The service will be on Tuesday, May 20, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, at Gerst O’Brien Funeral Home, 3980 Cascade Road, SE. A short program of memories and tributes to Ken will begin at 7:30 in celebration of Ken’s life. A military service will be scheduled at the National Cemetery in Battle Creek, Michigan. Those who wish may make a memorial contribution to Spectrum Health Foundation.
