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In Memory

Kenneth Woodard

Kenneth Woodard

Kenneth Wayne Woodard 2/13/1950-2/12/2016. Lifetime Bakersfield resident. Attended BC and graduated from CalState Bakersfield in the first graduating class, 1972. Worked in appliance sales for Sears nearly 4 decades. He was devoted to his family and they were his greatest joy. Survived by his wife Paula (Mayer) Woodard, 3 daughters, 2 grandchildren and other family. Memorial services were at First Presbyterian Church, Bakersfield. Obituary published in The Bakersfield Californian. 

 
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04/08/18 02:01 PM #1    

Ethel Wimsett (Landers)

Ken,

You and I were often in line together. The W kids. I always admired you as a compassionate and kind boy. I am sorry to hear you left this planet so early. Hoping you are smiling in the next journey. 

Ethel


04/09/18 03:17 AM #2    

Brenda Edwards (Hackney)

I am saddened to hear of Ken's death, he was a sweet, friendly guy in High School. I used to talk to Ken when I went to Sears, he was always kind and helpful, we would speak of people we both knew and our days at South High. The World lost a good man.

04/10/18 07:16 AM #3    

Cheryl Tidmore (McLemore)

Ken was a great friend, I remember being in a fashion show with him st South. My brother knew him well from working with him at Sears. A sad story of his death. 


04/11/18 09:35 PM #4    

Donald Allen

I can only echo the previous comments about Kenny.  Heck, he was a fixture at Sears.  I always stopped by to say hi even if I wasn't shopping for an appliance.  I will always remember the way he would step back, cock his head, and smile that big smile.


06/21/18 07:45 AM #5    

James Reynolds

Published in the Bakersfield Californian on Feb. 18, 2016:

He was the kind of guy you called when you needed help, whether your car had broken down on the highway, your screen door had fallen off its hinges or your very life was falling apart.

Kenneth Wayne Woodard, lifetime Bakersfield resident, loving husband, father and grandfather, died Feb. 12 on the eve of his 66th birthday, surrounded by members of his extended family.

Born Feb. 13, 1950, Ken grew up in two of the poorest neighborhoods in southeast Bakersfield. At 14 he lied about his age so he could go to work in the carrot and potato packing sheds outside of town.

From that point on, he would never shy away from hard work, yet he also came to understand that he would need to become the first in his family to attend college.

After graduating from South High School in 1968, Ken began his career in higher education at Bakersfield College. He worked his way through school by managing a fast-food restaurant at night and on weekends.

In 1970, Ken married his high school sweetheart, the former Paula Mayer. The couple would embark on the adventure of their lives, a 45-year marriage made possible through loyalty, devotion to family, their shared Christian faith, and the kind of love that lasts a lifetime.

Ken continued his studies after transferring to newly opened Cal State Bakersfield, where his mother-in-law, Bernadette Mayer, also attended.

In 1972, Ken earned a bachelor's degree in political science as part of the college's first graduating class. Mrs. Mayer graduated with him that day.

After working as an assistant manager at a Thrifty Drug Store, Ken was hired by Sears as part of the company's management training program.

But the position meant Ken and his family would have to be willing to eventually move to other cities to fill open manager positions.

For Ken, that was a deal-breaker. His widowed and ailing mother, who lived in Bakersfield, counted on him for support and assistance. So Ken dropped out of management training and went into appliance sales. It was a career at which he would excel for close to four decades.

As good as he was at his job, Ken's heart was always with his family. Helping Paula raise three daughters would prove to be one of the couple's greatest challenges as well as their greatest joy.

Camping trips to Yosemite, Sequoia and Carpinteria remain to this day etched in the memories of his wife and daughters. He never missed a soccer game or a school event, even if it meant forgoing an outing on the golf links, one of his most treasured pastimes.

As a man who grew up in a houseful of brothers, Ken's skill and patience as a father in a home filled with girls and women (and girls becoming women) would be tested many times. His sense of humor often served to defuse crises, as did his ceaseless desire to simply do what he felt was right. Some call that integrity, but to Ken, it was just part of his DNA.

However, as gentle as he was, he wasn't above letting his 6-foot, 3-inch frame intimidate potential suitors. His daughters still laugh about the time a boy arrived to pick one of them up for a date. Rather than ringing the doorbell, the boy remained in his car and simply honked his horn to summon his date.

Ken was the first one out to the curb, and while no one knew exactly what he said to the aspiring lothario, the horn honking incident was never repeated.

Although he left this world too soon, Ken's humor and consideration of others, the love he exhibited by example, and his lifelong habit of providing help where help was needed will not soon be forgotten.

The way he and the love of his life still held hands when they went on walks, the way he adored his daughters and two beautiful grandchildren, the manner in which he showed what it truly means to be a man -- these are the footprints he left along his journey. This is his legacy.

Ken was preceded in death by his parents, Audie and Velma Woodard, and brothers, Johnny and Jerry.

He is survived by his wife, Paula Woodard; daughters Celeste Woodard (and husband, Tom Tarrer); Eileen Carter (and husband, Aaron); and Rachel Woodard; and grandchildren Sydney and Ethan Carter and many other loving relatives and friends.

 


06/22/18 05:46 AM #6    

Phillip Walker

Ken was the type of friend that no matter how long it had been since you last saw him the conversation picked up as if it had only been a couple of days.  Sorry to hear that those conversations will be postponed until we meet again on the other side.  But I am sure when we meet he will have the same quiet smile and friendly greeting that marked every time we met through the years.


06/22/18 06:21 AM #7    

Gary Alex Kozy

It would be hard for me to believe he could have an enemy.
He just always seemed cool and thoughtful.

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