William Kenneth Vickery

William Kenneth Vickery (Ken) passed away peacefully July 12 in his home with his beloved wife, Carol, by his side. Carol provided loving care for him during his short, intense battle with pancreatic cancer; All five of his living children, his brother, and two of his granddaughters were able to visit before he passed. Ken was a fighter and did his best to battle his final illness so he could continue the life he loved in Florida, but the cancer won in the end. Ken was a problem solver. As a teenager, he got in trouble for stealing airplane parts and went on to get a degree in engineering from Georgia Tech. He eventually became director of a civilian Air Force group that designed rockets to study the earth’s upper atmosphere. Ken was proud of his Georgia roots and worked to maintain his southern accent even after years spent in Massachusetts. He could enjoy a long, complicated tale of international espionage, but his true vocation was tackling the minutia of everyday life. Ken was much more comfortable with the tasks of installing new flooring, putting in dog doors, and fixing computer glitches than in long discussions of nebulous things like feelings. And yet he was devoted to the people in his life. He once got up at six in the morning to drive two hours to fetch his granddaughter’s forgotten but cherished stuffed animal. Ken was a man who enjoyed traveling to far-flung places for his job as an aerospace engineer but also loved being at home in Florida, finding projects like putting new legs on the kitchen table. Ken dove into researching his family history with the same zeal he would have applied to fixing a broken appliance. He left his family with in-depth documentation of our roots back to Virginia before the revolutionary war. Ken was so excited to add his first two great-grandchildren, twin little girls, to the family tree when they were born last September. Ken’s family and friends will miss his sense of humor, his enjoyment of life, and his loving sup-port. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church, 327 W. Hickory St, Arcadia, FL 34266. A memorial service will be held on Monday, July 26, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church, 327 W. Hickory St, Arcadia, FL 34266. Luncheon will follow. The burial of Ken’s ashes will be limited to family members. It will take place at the National Cemetery in Sarasota with military honors.