Kenneth Dean Kiesling's Obituary
Kenneth Dean Kiesling, Sr., passed from this life on Sunday, July 8, 2018. Having trusted in Jesus Christ for his salvation from a young age, he now dwells in the eternal presence of Almighty God. While we miss him so, we are delighted to know he is free of his suffering and is with the Lord.Ken was born October 6, 1937, to “Pete” and Ruby Kiesling in the hamlet of Oklaunion, Texas. He grew up in the hardscrabble of the West Texas plains, steeled by hot winds, expansive skies and wide-open spaces. It was here he learned to hunt, fish, work, build, tinker, create, and fix. At 16, the family moved to Fort Worth, where he met his future wife – Carolyn Cole – at Carter-Riverside High School. Upon graduating, he joined the NROTC and enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin. He eventually earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and wedded Carolyn in 1959.After college, a job with Westinghouse took them to Laurel, Maryland, where Ken began his lifelong vocation as a radar systems engineer. However, Texas called him and Carolyn back home and he went to work at Texas Instruments. Here, he spent the balance of his career advancing avionics radar systems in support of our military’s defenses into, through and beyond the Cold War, quietly doing more than his fair share to keep our nation and way of life safe. A patriot “par excellence,” he often toiled long hours and days in total obscurity, taking his role as a defender of freedom and liberty more seriously and with more integrity than most could imagine.Along the way, he and Carolyn would bring two sons, Kenneth Dean Kiesling, Jr. (“Dean”), and Andrew Jonathan Kiesling (“Drew”) into the world. Ken was a dutiful father and dependable provider, modeling an admirable work ethic for his boys.Upon retirement in 1996, he returned to his childhood passions of fishing, hunting, woodworking and all-around tinkering. But mostly, he enjoyed his grandkids, each of which delighted his heart. He was a co-conspirator of mischief, much to the chagrin of their mother and grandmother. Ken blossomed during these “grandkid years” as the Lord used them to soften and grow his heart.Ken was a longtime member of First Baptist Church Richardson. There, he made trusted friends, some of whom he labored alongside during annual missions trips to the Rio Grande Valley before his health gave way. His decades-long friendships, forged over four decades, would see him through to the end.While far from perfect, his wake was large and his draw deep. He was honest, principled and full of integrity. A man of few words, he loved more by doing than he ever did by telling.Ken is survived by his wife, Carolyn, sister, LaFon Higginbotham and her husband, Bill, brother-in-law, Johnny Cole and his wife, Jenna, sons, Dean and Drew, daughter-in-law, Lisa, grandchildren, Tyler, Amanda, Joshua, Jessica and Noah, along with numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.A Memorial service for Mr. Kiesling will be held at 2:00 pm Monday July 16, 2018 at First Baptist Church in the Contemporary Worship Room located at 1001 N Central Expy, Richardson, TX 75080In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations in Ken’s honor be directed to the American Lung Association (www.lung.org) or The Navigators (www.navigators.org).Funeral arrangements for Mr. Kenneth Dean Kiesling have been faithfully entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Cemetery, which is located at 13005 Greenville Ave., at the intersection of Restland Road, Dallas, Texas 75243, and can be reached at (972) 238-7111.
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