Kenneth Mitchell Lomax

Kenneth Mitchell Lomax, age 70, of West Grove, PA died at his home on June 9, 2018 after a very short illness from an aggressive form of cancer. Born in Wilmington in 1947, he was the son of the late Ernest Lomax and Martha (Mitchell) Lomax and was a 7th generation Delawarean. Ken was a graduate of Newark High School. He went on to earn his B.S. in chemical engineering from Lafayette College, his M.S. degree in Entomology and Applied Ecology from the University of Delaware, and his PhD in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Maryland. He started his career at University of Maryland’s Horn Point Environmental Laboratory in Cambridge, Maryland, where he was a research engineer. In 1979, he moved to the University of Delaware Agricultural Engineering Department to pursue his passion which was undergraduate teaching, especially working with and mentoring his engineering technology students. His research work focused on environmental engineering improvements to support the mushroom industry. Ken very much enjoyed working with mushroom growers to help develop pragmatic engineering solutions and provided hands on assistance to challenges facing growers. Although most of his work was local, he was an active participant in international conferences, and enjoyed traveling to other parts of the world to visit mushroom farms and assist as needed, particularly in his expertise in air-flow monitoring and controls. After retiring in 2009 from teaching at University of Delaware, he continued his work with mushroom growers, but also enjoyed traveling, gardening, maintaining and making improvements on his small farm, and volunteering. He and his wife often traveled to National Parks to hike in the mountains and enjoy the wildlife. Ken was an avid University of Delaware sports fan. He was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Newark, where he assisted with their monthly food pantry. He also served on the Board of the Friends Home in Kennett for many years. Ken is survived by his wife of 46 years, Nancy Lomax; uncles, Joe Mitchell (wife Kathy) of Woodside Farm in Hockessin, DE and Larry Parrish of Kennett Square, PA; and many cousins. In addition to his parents, Ken is preceded in death by his sister, Anne Lomax. A visitation for family and friends will be held at 12:30 pm until 2 pm on June 24, 2018, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 701 S. College Avenue in Newark, DE, where a memorial service to celebrate his life will begin at 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Friends Home in Kennett, 147 W State Street, Kennett Square, PA 19348.