Kenneth W Myers

December 20, 1932 – October 31, 2025

Kenneth "Ken" W. Myers passed away peacefully in Richland, Washington on October 31, 2025 at the age of 92. Born on December 20, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, Ken was raised in the Los Angeles area, where he developed a lifelong love of the outdoors and a passion for hard work and craftsmanship.

A natural athlete, Ken, was a high school football star and went on to play football at Biola College before proudly entering the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He completed his basic training at Fort Ord, California; assigned to the 6th Infantry Division, G Company, 20th Infantry Regiment. In 1953, after basic training, he married his high school sweetheart, Mary Mings, and was promptly transferred to Fort Lewis, Washington, to serve his country at the Fort Lewis Army base. While stationed there, Ken and Mary welcomed their first child, Terry.

After his honorable discharge, the young family returned to Los Angeles, where Ken pursued his passion for construction. He began as an apprentice carpenter and quickly mastered every aspect of the trade- from design and drafting to concrete, framing, electrical work, and roofing. Ken's natural curiosity and drive led him to become a true craftsman and problem solver. He developed his own mathematical shortcuts for complex building calculations, performing advanced geometry and trigonometry with ease.

Ken built and helped build many homes through the Los Angeles area before moving his growing family to Redding, California. There, he built more than 30 homes while raising his three children. Known among friends and family as "the king of templates," Ken had an innovative spirit and created custom guides and tools to ensure precision and efficiency in every project.

In 1975, Ken and Mary moved the family to the Tri-Cities, Washington area, to begin a new chapter in their lives. Ken built swimming pools for Pool and Patio of Kennewick for several years before returning to home construction, continuing to build through the 1980's. He later joined Bechtel International, working on the Hanford project, where he roofed many World War II-era buildings. True to his inventive nature, Ken designed a specialized tool he called the "Dragon Wagon" to make the work safer and more efficient.

Ken passed his knowledge and building talents onto his children and grandchildren by involving them in his projects or working one-on-one with them in his shop. His unique methods for giving directions will never be forgotten.

Ken retired from Bechtel in 1998 but continued to lend his construction skills to others for years afterward. Ken and Mary joined Sower Ministries and traveled the United States and the world as volunteers helping to build schools, hospitals, living quarters, and churches. Their work took them to France, the Bahamas, and many towns throughout the United States.

Beyond his remarkable craftsmanship, Ken's greatest love and joy came through his personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He accepted Christ as his Savior as a young man and placed God at the center of his life, leading his family by example as a devoted husband, father, Sunday school teacher and Bible study leader. Ken enjoyed creating visual aids for his lessons, often made from scraps and pieces left over from his projects- tangible expressions of his faith and creativity.

In 1999, Ken was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Although this slowed him down a bit, Ken underwent surgery and began his chemo/radiation treatments. However, shortly after his surgery, he began construction on a new home he had promised Mary. Ken designed, and began to build their retirement home in Richland. Assisted by grandsons David and Kenny for a full summer, along with a host of help from family and friends, an old-fashioned barn raising got the walls up and the building underway. Living in a trailer house on-site, Ken relentlessly built on their retirement home over that summer as he continued his chemo therapy sessions.

Ken had a love of the outdoors and spent many happy days with family and friends fishing, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing. For many years Ken and Mary rented cabins at Loon Lake and sponsored a week-long family fishing vacation. After retirement, Ken and Mary traveled with friends and family to fish many smaller lakes throughout Washington State.

Ken is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 72 years, Mary, his sisters Ruth and Viginia; his eldest daughter Lynda; daughter-in-law, Nancy; and great-granddaughter Collette. He is survived by siblings Ed, Liz and Adaley; his children Terry and Joann; ten grandchildren; and sixteen great-grandchildren.

A funeral service to honor and celebrate Ken's life will be held at 11AM on Friday, November 21st, 2025 at Mueller's Tri-Cities Funeral Home, 1401 S Union St, Kennewick, WA 99338.

Ken's life was one of faith, family, adventure and craftsmanship- a true builder in every sense of the word. Ken poured his life into others while using his hands and heart to build lasting structures that have stood the test of time. He leaves a legacy of love, integrity, and devotion that will continue to inspire all who knew him.