Kenneth Paul Howe

He was born on August 6th, 1958 to Donald and Theresa (Zubriski) Howe. He is survived by his wife of 40 years Debbie (Weidman) Howe, daughter Chelsea Howe, son Adam Howe, brother George Howe, Son-in-Law Michael Molinari, and granddaughter Indigo Hol. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his older brother Donald Howe.

Ken was born and raised in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. He attended Goff Grammar School before entering St. Raphael’s Academy for his high school years. In July 1976 Ken entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. During his Cadet years, Ken was a member of the sport parachute team. He finished in the top 10 percent of the class and was one of a few Cadets chosen to be a Company Commander his senior year. In May of 1980, Ken graduated and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers.

Ken’s first assignment was to the “Tip of the Spear” defending West Germany from communism. Ken became a leader in the 12th Combat Engineer Battalion in 1981 culminating with his final assignment as Company Commander of the “Delta Dogs.” The assignment not only sharpened Ken’s professionalism and leadership, but also provided Ken and Debbie the beginning of a traveling love affair with Europe, something that never stopped. Their European era was filled with good friends, good times, and many memories.

Ken left the military in 1985 and began his civilian career at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio as an Assistant Brand Manager. His career at P&G was fairly short lived as Ken was offered a job as a Marketing Manager for Pizza Hut in Wichita, Kansas. Marketing Manager turned into New Concepts which turned into Operations as Ken spent 10 years in Wichita and Kansas City honing his knowledge of the brand.

After his successful run with Pizza Hut Incorporated, Ken’s operational instincts and connection with teams and customers catapulted him into a lead operator’s role. In 1997, he joined the leadership team at Hallrich Incorporated in Stow, Ohio, the management service company for, presently, 124 Pizza Hut restaurants. His operational prowess was soon rewarded as he was promoted to Vice President of Operations and ultimately President. Ken remained humble and hands-on; he would refer to himself as Head Operator, rather than President. During his time with Hallrich, he was awarded the Supreme Service Award by the system’s franchise holder’s association.

In 2009, Ken and Debbie moved to Las Vegas, NV to take the next step in Ken’s Pizza Hut career and to achieve his longtime dream of becoming a Pizza Hut franchisee. Ken was a founding shareholder of Las Vegas Pizza LLC, a Pizza Hut franchise currently made up of 45 restaurants all located in the greater Las Vegas metro market. With Ken leading the way as President of Las Vegas Pizza, the company became a very successful award-winning business by creating a workplace culture that focused on Ken’s belief that the company didn’t just deliver pizzas - they “delivered a better moment” for employees and customers. He earned the loyal following of his team through his compassion, candor, and enthusiasm for the Pizza Hut brand. That enthusiasm was epitomized by Ken’s email signature line “It’s all Fabulous in Las Vegas!” Ken was very active in the community supporting local charities, serving in local business groups such as the Las Vegas Executive Association and serving as an Honorary Commander of the 432nd AMXS based out of Creech Air Force Base. Regardless of the circumstance that the business faced, Ken was fond of saying “we are making memories” as a reminder to keep everything in perspective and to enjoy the moment.

With Covid concerns waning but not gone, the family has chosen not to hold a service. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Ken’s favorite charity pizzaforprayer.org. This is a small local Las Vegas charity that had the brilliant idea of ‘rescuing food.’ Our excess product and mismade pizzas are collected at our restaurants and are redistributed to those in need via several charities in the area. Alternately, donations may also be made to pancreatic.org which helps fund the UCLA center for pancreatic diseases and research where Ken was treated.

Family and friends may visit www.Palmsouthwest.com to view this obituary, sign the guestbook and send condolences to Ken’s family.