Kenneth A. Van Buren

Kenneth Alan Van Buren, born 6 February 1946 as the fourth child of Paul and Loretta (Wardein) Van Buren’s 10 children in Alton, Illinois, passed away on 23 July 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. His passions were family, including his many nieces and nephews, students and fellow teachers, pets, and plants.

After his own education at St. Patrick’s Elementary School and Marquette Catholic High School in Alton, Ken earned an A.S. in Philosophy and Latin at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, a B.A. in English and Latin from St. Louis University, and a Masters in Folklore from Indiana University in Bloomington. He went on to a 48-year teaching career, beginning at Alton East Jr. High School; 8 years at East Ladue Junior High School; 14 years at Ladue Horton Watkins High School in Ladue, Missouri; four years at St. Croix Country Day School in the U.S. Virgin Islands; and retiring from Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, after 22 years.

Teaching English led to many grammar discussions with his siblings, while Latin students enjoyed extensive creative projects that brought ancient Rome alive. He loved hearing from his many past students on Facebook or when they came to town. He was always proud of their life journeys—listening and mentoring them through their tough times and congratulating them on their successes. He considered them family. Students commented he was “the first teacher to prize learning above academic performance” and his classroom was “the one place we felt free to be ourselves.” Many expressed gratitude for his seeing the potential in them, never doubting them and, as one student said, for giving her “the greatest gift of all: hope.”

Ken never wanted his story to be just a resumé; rather, he wished that those who knew him would share their personal stories about their interactions with him over the years. Regardless, we decided to give Ken the last word in his life story. He hopes to be remembered as a faithful person who loved unconditionally. He strove to be humble and would rather be alone than in the bad company of pretentious, phony people. He was not prone to self-pity, and he inspired those who watched him battle many health challenges over the years while remaining positive and resilient. To us, he was indestructible! He was the kind of man worth fighting for and standing by and, as he hoped, someone that we will NEVER lose from our hearts.

Donations in his memory can be made to one of the following non-profit organizations that supported his many passions for education, animal welfare, and the environment: Veterans Heritage Project (www.veteransheritage.org), where he helped students capture the stories of veterans of multiple wars who so proudly served our country; Bichon Rescue Brigade (www.bichonrescuebrigade.org), an all-volunteer group whose mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and place medically fragile and last-chance dogs into loving homes; St. George Village Botanical Garden on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (www.sgvbg.org), where he spent many hours working to identify, collect, and propagate threatened or endangered plant species; or any other non-profit that furthers education, pets or the environment.

Ken will be buried in Alton in November, but there will be a gathering of his Arizona friends in the coming weeks. Stay tuned and please know that he loved you all!