Kenneth John Easton

Easton, Kenneth John, born August 1, 1916 in Harrow, England passed away peacefully at home in Bedford, Nova Scotia, December 27, 2013. An electrical engineer, Ken spent nearly sixty years in the communication industry, starting in 1932 with the British Post Office with whom he was very involved in radio communications for the Armed Forces during World War II. In 1947 he joined Rediffusion Ltd. In London, England and worked on the design and installation of community antenna television systems. In 1953 he moved to Montreal as Chief Engineer for Rediffusion’s cable television system, the first of its kind in Canada. In 1957 he was a founding member of the Canadian Cable Television Association and acted as its secretary until 1978. In 1960 he joined Famous Players Canada to oversee the design and installation of an experimental pay television system in Toronto and subsequently became involved in the design and administration of many cable TV systems across the country, from New Brunswick to British Columbia. He departed Famous Players in 1970 when they left the television business and worked as an independent consultant to cable television companies throughout Canada and the United States until his retirement in 1991. He relocated from Toronto to Halifax in 1989. In 1980 Ken published a book entitled “Thirty Years in Cable Television-Reminiscences of a Pioneer” and in 2000 he wrote a second, “Building an Industry, A History of Cable Television in Canada”. After his retirement from business Ken spent a lot of time in the hobby of scale model railroad and ship building and for some years was an active member of local modeling clubs. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth(MacCulloch), brother Geoffrey, Harrow, England, a son Anthony(Marilyn), Halifax, a daughter, Jill(David)Morrell, Adelaide, Australia, grandchildren David(Andrea), Ottawa and Donna(Ken Hartlen), Toronto and great -grandchildren Nicole and Robyn Easton and Veronica Hartlen. In accordance with his wishes, cremation has taken place. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Palliative Care Unit at the QEII Health Sciences Centre(902-473-7936). Arrangements are entrusted to JA Snow Funeral Home, 339 Lacewood Dr. Hfx., NS, B3S 0E1 (455-0531) On-line condolences may be made by visiting www.jasnowfuneralhome.com