Obituary of Kenneth Bernard McReynolds

KENNETH B. McREYNOLDS JR. Born July 16, 1947 at Madigan Army Hospital, Tacoma, Wa. passed on to eternal life May 8,2012 at Franciscan Hospice House, University Place, Wa. Ken grew up and spent most of his life in So. Tacoma, graduating from Mt. Tahoma High School in 1965. After graduation he was drafted into the army where he spent a year in Viet Nam. After receiving a honorable discharge from the army he worked at various jobs which included spending several years in Orange County, Ca. as well as Lexington,Ky. He reenlisted in the army in 1975 and spent a year in Germany. After another honorable discharge he attended TCC for awhile and finally settled in a position at St. Vincent De Paul in So. Tacoma for many years. Ken was very artistic and talented in many areas. He was a very private person whose emotions and feelings ran deep but he held them close inside and didn't often share them. It was discovered after his death that he was an organ donor and because of this two people have received the precious gift of sight through SightLife. In March 2007 he was hit with a dibilitating stroke that left him disabled and unable to work. He fought long and hard with Physical Therapy to regain his independence and be able to return to his upstairs apartment. September 2011 Ken was diagnosed with esophagial cancer. He fought this long and extremely painful battle with his usual warrior spirit, enduring surgeries and chemotherapy but he wasn't able to win this war. Ken was much loved by his family. Preceded in death by parents Kenneth B. Sr. and Edith M. sister Kathy Shelby, brothers Douglas and Robert McReynolds. He is survived by sisters Marilyn Jenkins (Lexington, Ky), Dianne Hanson (Santa Ana, Ca.), Juanita (Wayne) Oney (Nicholasville, Ky), Joyce (Bob) James (Spanaway, Wa) and brother Bill (Barb) McReynolds (Mesa, Az), daughter Angie McReynolds (Costa Mesa, Ca), sons Kenneth B. Mcrenolds III (Orange County,Ca), Ryan Zacharias (Tacoma, Wa), and grandsons Kaena McReynolds(Orange County, Ca), and Ryan Zacharias Jr. (Tacoma, Wa). A memorial gathering to honor Ken will be held Saturday Sept. 8th, 2 p.m. at Old Tacoma Cemetery 48th and So. Tacoma Way, followed by memory sharing at the Opal Tavern 5226 So. Tacoma Way. Rest in peace our dear loved brother.