In Memoriam

R. Kenneth “Ken” Thorne Ken Thorne, 69, passed away on Saturday, March 21, 2009, while visiting his homeland of Wales.

Ken, a wonderful husband, father, grandfather & friend will be dearly missed by his wife of 41 years, Patricia C. Thorne, oldest daughter, Elizabeth “Liz” (Glenn) Friedman of Jupiter, Fl, sons, David (Tiffany) of Hudson, Ohio and John (Erin) of Avon, Ohio and his 8 grandchildren, Reilley, Evelyn, Keaton, Zach, Jack, Skye, Ben & Adam.

Ken was born on April 14, 1939 in Skewen, Wales. Ken graduated from the University of Birmingham (UK) with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He worked for BP Petrochemicals at Baglan Bay as an engineer. After a few years & looking for more challenge Ken made his way to the United States. He moved to Ohio in 1964 where he worked at Lubrizol as an engineer & pursued his MBA.

Although the plan was to return to Wales, in 1967 he met & married his beloved wife Patricia Canfield. The couple moved to Mentor in 1968 and has lived in the same community ever since. The couple was blessed with 3 children.

After graduating from Case Western Reserve Ken pursued careers in finance & commercial design. He was involved in investment banking, a financial consulting company & a family owned commercial interior design & furnishings company. Ken retired early and was able to pursue many activities that he enjoyed. He even had some furnishing & consulting jobs during retirement.

Ken enjoyed boating, traveling, gardening, historical & environmental protection, public policy & planning, reading, volunteering, teaching, wine & food tastings, writing & cooking! Ken's cooking became the highlight of his retirement. His welsh cooking was showcased on local Cleveland PBS station WVIZ, in the Lake County News-Herald, and as a guest instructor at the Paganini School of cooking. He was the featured food editor in the Ninnau (North American Welsh Newspaper) where he wrote more than 40 articles. He often traveled to Wales to collect recipes first-hand from Chefs and add a personal touch & a bit of history into the many articles that he wrote. Annually, he participated & enjoyed the local & regional St. David’s Day celebrations.

Ken definitely impacted the community, city & countries he loved. He never missed an opportunity to volunteer. He will be missed by all.

Ken served as an adjunct professor in Environment Management at Lake Erie College (1998), as Councilman at Large for Mentor City Council (1994-97) serving as VP from 1996-1997, and Pension Trustee & Financial Advisor for Johnson Rubber(1969-99). He was recognized for outstanding service to the Lake County Community Improvement Corporation, Lake County Economic Development Center's Tax Incentive Review Committee, Pinegate Homeowners' Association, OSU Extension Service - Advisory, Environmental & Sea Grant Committees, & Grand River Yacht Club. Ken's professional affiliations included the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (1994-2002), North American Society for Corporate Planning, Lake County Community Improvement Corporation, Mentor Economic Assistance Corp, Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce & the Society of Plastic Engineers. Ken's community involvement included the City of Mentor Charter Review Committee Member (2008), City of Mentor Planning Commission Member (2003-06), City of Mentor Tree Commissioner (1995-2003), Mentor Bicentennial Committee Chairman, Historic Trolley Tours of Mentor Chairman, Lake County Board of Elections Volunteer, Holden Arboretum, Member & Education Participant Deepwood Board member, Lake County ADAMHS Board - Blue Ribbon Committee Member, Grand River Association, Grand River Protection Partners, Grand River Yacht Club, Mentor Harbor Yachting Club, Lake County Historical Society, Fairport Harbor Historical Society, and Pinegate Homeowners Association.

The family will receive friends to pay tribute to and celebrate Ken's life at Brunner Funeral Home in Mentor, Ohio between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM Sunday, April 5, 2009. A mass will be held at St. Gabriel church in Concord, Ohio at 10:00 AM on Monday, April 6, 2009.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to The Holden Arboretum, 9500 Sperry Road, Kirtland, Ohio 44094, 440-946-4400 in honor of Ken and his commitment to a greener community.