Kenneth Raymond Howey, beloved father and friend to so many, passed away on September 10, 2018 at Citrus Memorial Hospital, Inverness, FL. He was 89 years old. Ken was born on February 23, 1929 in Newton, NJ. He grew up in Dingman’s Ferry, PA on a rural family farm with two brothers and four sisters, and graduated Milford High School, PA. He served in the U.S. Army and attained the rank of Corporal during the Korean War. He had a first marriage to Margaret (Peggy) Crawford in 1951 and they had two daughters. He owned and managed a diner in Branchville, NJ, and he also worked as a clerk at the A&P Grocery Store in Newton, NJ. A&P promoted Ken to store manager and eventually found he had a talent for turning around under-performing stores. Ken possessed an intuitive sense of math and business savvy. In 1964 he married Elma (Wallace) Bell a widow with five young, restless boys. After retiring from A&P, Ken un-retired himself and worked in security at Selective Insurance in Branchville, NJ. Shortly after, they discovered his talents and trained him to be an insurance adjuster/ inspector. After pursuing this new career for 10 years, Ken retired again in 1992. At that time, he and Elma moved to Inverness, Fl. Even though retired, Ken’s mind wouldn’t slow down. He invested in several rental villas and presided as president of the Whispering Pine Villas homeowner’s association for several terms. He volunteered at Citrus Memorial Hospital and helped many in the community with starting a business or solving business problems.
Ken is survived by his sister Irene Kinney, daughters Betty Swineford & Helen Howey; his sons David, Jeffery, James, Richard & Glenn Bell. He has ten grandchildren and five great grandchildren. He is predeceased by his wife, Elma, his parents Henry J. Howey & Mabel Walters Howey, and five other siblings: Ada, Chuck, Walt, Dot and Amy.
Services are scheduled at The Charles E. Davis Funeral Home, 3075 S. Florida Avenue, Inverness, FL 34450 on Sunday, September 23rd at 2PM. An escorted funeral procession will leave the next day on Monday, September 24th at 9AM from The Davis Funeral Home to the Florida National Cemetery, located at 6502 SW 102nd Avenue, Bushnell, Sumter County, FL 33513.
In lieu of flowers, Ken wishes donations to be made to a charity of your choice or the American Cancer Society. Ken loved life, making friends and solving problems. He was living life the way he wanted and was sharp-minded to the end. Thank you to Trish, Heidi and Ron, and all his neighbors.
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