Final Salute

Kenn was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, to Kenneth and Betty Harrison in October, 1946. At age five, he lost his dad and was raised by his step-dad Elvin “Mac” McKenzie. The family, which included his half-brother Chuck Bilbruck and sister Pat, eventually settled in Highland, Indiana. He graduated from Highland High School in 1965.

In 1966, he enlisted in the Navy Seabees. Following boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois, and training in heavy equipment in Rhode Island, he was sent to Port Hueneme, California. There he met and married Pam Rominger on August 11, 1967. His nine years in the Seabees included two tours to Vietnam (where he helped build Quang Tri), two deployments to Okinawa, a final duty station at NAS Alameda, and the birth of their three daughters – Kari in 1969, Kimi in 1970, and Betsy in 1975.

After the Navy, they spent a year in Tennessee and over the years lived in several other places, but they always returned to Ventura, California, the place that felt like home. From 1977 to 1991, they were active members of College Heights Baptist Church and the school that opened in 1979. Kenn also went to work for Rocketdyne in April 1977, retiring twenty-seven years later.

In 1990, Kenn was diagnosed with the first of five bouts with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Weakened by cancer and diabetes, he gradually also lost mobility and his favorite activities: driving, bowling, wood crafts, pinochle, baking and even Word Find puzzles. At last, on April 12, 2023, he also lost his life and went home to his Lord; his wife of over fifty five years at his bedside in their home in Ventura.

Kenn was easily loved by those who met him. He was known for his servant’s heart, his willing and quick response to any need, his happy and outgoing nature, his irrepressible smile, and his quiet perseverance.

He is deeply missed by his wife, Pam, and their beloved family: Kari and Alan Zeni, Kim Herney, Betsy and Dave Reynolds and grandchildren Aidan Herney, Alena Zeni, and Harrison Zeni.

Kenn was laid to rest May 4, 2023, with military honors at Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside, California.

Published by Legacy Remembers from Jun. 7 to Jun. 11, 2023.