Kenneth DeFord

Ken DeFord went home to be with Jesus on December 14, 2016. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa on May 22, 1933. His family moved to Kansas City, Missouri when Ken was about 2 where he graduated from East High School in 1952. Ken joined the US Navy and spent four years serving as a radio operator on a small aircraft carrier doing service in the Korean War.   After the Navy Ken attend the University of Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy (now Missouri University School of Engineering) in Rolla, Missouri graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. He later graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison New Jersey with a Master’s Degree in Mathematics.   Ken met and married Edna Norman DeFord from Mexico, Missouri in September 1959 and then continued his education at Rolla. They continued on an adventure as he hired on with Western Electric, Winston Salem, NC as a Research Engineer and was immediately transferred to Bell Laboratories in Whippany, NJ. He later moved with the Bell System for assignments to White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico (living in El Paso, Texas) back to Bell Laboratories in New Jersey (three different times), Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, back to the East Coast for assignments at Madison, NJ, New York City, Newark, NJ, and Piscataway, NJ. Ken was the Chairman of the Hope Baptist Church Building Committee where he and Edna worked to build a church building for their congregation. Ken did all the electrical work and spent many hours completing the insides of the building. He retired in December 1994 from a 35 year career with the AT&T Bell System (retired from Bell Communications Research now the Erikson Company). Ken and Edna took possession of their retirement home in Pebble Creek in February 1995 and moved permanently from NJ in November 1995. In December 1995 they were one of the six founding couples of the Pebble Creek Community Church where he has served faithfully. Ken loved to play golf but was curtailed by his health a few years ago so spent many delightful times playing bridge, Bocce, RV Club, Wood Carving and many other things at Pebble Creek. He and Edna spent a summer semester teaching English as a Second Language at a University in western China in 1999. At age 79 he spent a year teaching Math at a Charter High School and then moved up to Estrella Mountain Community College where he was able to share his love of Math to teach young college students. This was one of the highlights of his life to share his knowledge to the young people. Ken and Edna enjoyed traveling with many friends, going on Mission trips and sharing the love of God in different ways. They have been to over 30 countries but love the USA best. Ken and Edna have two sons, Edward who lives in Hull, MA and David who resides in Hackettstown, NJ. He was the youngest of 10 children and all of his siblings have preceded him in death. Ken loved Jesus, life and quietly serving the Lord. He was much loved and will be missed by his family and friends.

A graveside service will be held at 10:30 am, Wednesday, December 21, 2016 at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, 23029 N Cave Creek Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85024.