Kenneth F. Ramage

Pacolet, SC - - Kenneth Faris Ramage, 90 ½ formerly of the Asbury Community, passed away on Friday, June 14, 2024 at Palmetto Patriots Home in Gaffney.

Born on January 12, 1934, Ken was born in Vandergriff, Pennsylvania.  He was the devoted husband of Lynda (Sanders) Ramage and the son of the late Edgar and Fern Ramage of Ohio.  Ken is survived by his wife, and he leaves four daughters, and six granddaughters.  For the past two years, Ken resided at the Palmetto Patriots Home.  There, he made many friends, with both fellow residents and staff members.  He especially enjoyed Poker Days.

Ken's family moved to Ohio when he was in the 7th grade.  He graduated high school at Coshocton, Ohio, and earned both a Bachelor's degree in Physics, and a second Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics from Otterbein College.  He also attended Ohio State University for post graduate work.  Ken joined the United States Army.  While in military service, and stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and Fort Hood, Texas, Ken was awarded Sharp Shooter classification medals and served as a member of the Military Police Force.

After his military service concluded, Ken began employment with Rockwell International.  He retired from Rockwell as a distinguished service professional.  During his years at Rockwell, he was the program manager for the Brimstone Missile Program, which was a cooperative development initiative with Marconi, Ltd in England.  During this employment period he was responsible for overall direction for program planning, expectations and control of the Brimstone.  Due to his extensive expertise, some of his other employment duties consisted of total responsibility for systems engineering tasks associated with the Hellfire Missile, an instrument used in Operation Desert Storm, and he conducted additional missile testing at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama and Elgin Air Force Base in Florida.

Ken was an extremely well-rounded individual.  He was an avid tennis player and won many tournaments in both singles and doubles categories.  He was a member of the Atlanta League Tennis Association (ALTA) for many years.  Ken was a fan of the Atlanta Braves and enjoyed cheering them on.  Other activities included his love for reading, and playing card and board games.  He greatly enjoyed playing golf and loved boating and skiing.  Ken was also a member of the Stone Mountain Lions Club and an active member of the Mountain Park United Methodist Church, where he chaired their Fall Festival event.  Ken had a great interest in genealogy and explored his lineage with enthusiasm, producing a printed book of his findings.  In addition, he was a wonderful helper to his wife and greatly assisted her when entertaining their friends at various events at their bespoke and historically appointed homes and gardens.  Additionally, Ken was a curious traveler and enjoyed local, regional, national and international travel destinations.  In his special way, Ken's sense of humor was one of the most delightful and outstanding qualities of his level and always pleasant personality.  He never met a stranger and was a dedicated and committed friend to so many individuals whom he touched during his rich and fulfilled life.

Private graveside services will be held by the family.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Cherokee County Humane Society, P.O. Box 2223, Gaffney, SC 29342.

An online guest register is available at www.blakelyfuneralhome.com

Blakely Funeral Home & Crematory, Gaffney, SC