Kenneth Craven Windle

Kenneth Craven Windle, age 95, of Newark, DE, left this world on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 after exploring almost every mile of its circumference. Ken began his journey on February 16, 1921 in the town of Bradford in Yorkshire, England. As a young child, he loved to explore, often by bicycle or boat. Not one for traditional book learning, he left school at the age of 14½ years to work in Lister’s Mills. This lasted a short while until he realized that he really wanted to be a machinist. At the age of 16 years, he began his engineering apprenticeship at J. Parkinson & Sons Machine Tool Makers in Shipley, England. Two years later WWII broke out. Even though engineers at this time were exempt from serving, Ken joined the British Merchant Marines to serve his country by providing the fuel and supplies that ships needed to fight the war. He retired 5½ years later as a Fourth Engineer. On one of his many trips to port in New York City, Ken met the woman who changed the direction of his life, Clara Pechenik (Windle). After traveling to dozens and dozens of ports and islands around the world, he re-charted his trip and headed to the United States to marry Clara on March 18, 1945. The skills that Ken acquired as a machine apprentice and as a marine engineer were put to good use in his later career as a plant engineer, first with the Budd Company and for two years with Hercules. He then took a job at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Middletown, Delaware, where he was a Certified Plant Engineer for 17 years. After retiring from St. Andrew’s, Ken and Clara enjoyed the rest of their days in Newark, Delaware where they enjoyed many happy afternoons with their friends at the Nottingham Green Swim Club. Ken and Clara celebrated 70 happy years of marriage in 2015. After Clara passed away in October, Ken moved to assisted living at Brookdale White Chapel in Newark. He had wonderful care there until he entered Christiana Hospital in late July. His last two weeks were spent under the careful and compassionate watch of the staff at Season’s Hospice. Ken and Clara’s two sons and their wives, Richard (LuAnn) and Derek (Liz) were never far from his side. They mourn his loss, as do his grandchildren Ryan (Trish), Steven (Bridgette), Michael (Danielle), Diana, Anna and Nathan, his great grandchildren Zachary, Ashlee, and Taylor, his sister-in-law Joni (Harry) in California, and his nieces and nephews in Australia, Massachusetts and California. Friends and family are invited to gather for a visitation from 6 pm until 8 pm on Friday evening, August 26, 2016 at the Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Home, 121 W. Park Place, Newark, DE. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Seasons Hospice of Delaware, 220 Continental Drive, Ste. 101, Newark, DE 19713 or to Faithful Friends, 12 Germay Drive, Wilmington, DE 19804.

Kenneth Craven Windle

February 16, 1921 - August 9, 2016