Obituary: ​Kenneth Beardsley Warner, Jr., 90, of Branford

Information via W.S. Clancy Memorial Funeral Home

Kenneth Beardsley Warner, Jr., 90, passed away on August 19, 2017, at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Ken was born in Waterbury, CT on February 17, 1927 to the late Kenneth Beardsley Warner and Rosalind Warner. He was predeceased by his sister Marjorie. Ken was a longtime resident of Branford and a lifelong member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Branford, where he was their handyman for many years.

He married his beautiful bride Ruth Kelsey, whom he proposed to upon their third date. They were married within six weeks and were together for 59 years. Ken worked on his family farm until he was 32 years old; his hard work ethic carried over to his job with the George C. Field Co. in 1958. In 1969, he opened his own construction business, Kenneth Warner and Sons, and began teaching his sons the trade which became invaluable to them.

Ken was also very active in many Masonic Organizations. He was a member of the Widow’s Son’s Lodge #66 for 65 years, The Georgia Chapter, OES, and the Scottish Rite Freemasonry. He was a member of the ARABA Shrine Temple, and later joined the Tin-Lizzies. Ken also traveled the country in his motor home with his family and later was the 850th person to join the NCT Camping organization. He then became a founding co-owner of the Traveler’s Woods Campground in Bernardston, MA in 1982, where their goal was to raise money for the Shriner’s Hospital in Massachusetts. His tradition of camping at Traveler’s Woods campground continues every Labor Day with all of his 30 (and counting) family members attending every year.

Ken was fortunate to be able to retire at the age of 55, and began traveling all over the world with his wife, Ruth. Ken was an incredible man. He was strong minded but gentle. He valued and loved his family more than anything; he was always there with a helping hand for everyone, and visited his elderly friends to give comfort to their day. The way he lived his life with such strong sense of self and character, along with their mom Ruth, are lessons that made their children the wonderful people they are today. He will be dearly missed.

Ken leaves behind his loving wife, Ruth, his children Kenneth B. Warner III (Rebecca), James, Robert (Janice), Ruth (Steve), and Vernon (Janice). He also leaves behind his 13 grandchildren, Ken, David, Mark, Brett, Kurt, Jamie, Alison, Christopher, Eric, Jeffrey, Lauren, Jim Jr., and Alex, and 10 great-grandchildren.

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