Kenneth D. Griffith
Kenneth D. Griffith, age 83, passed away peacefully at his home Thursday, March 23, 2023, after a courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Gwynne Norman Griffith, three daughters; Sharon (Don) Sapienza of Louisville, KY, Linda (Greg) Carrington of The Woodlands, TX, Susan (Kendall) Gadd of Berea, KY. He is also survived by seven grandchildren; Kier (Mary) Sapienza, Michael Sapienza, Katie Sapienza, Jennifer Day, Jennifer (Jackson) Walsh, Steven Gadd, David Gadd, two great-grandchildren; Isabel Sapienza, Sophia Sapienza, and his brother-in-law Gurney (Nyoka) Norman of Lexington, KY. He was preceded in death by his parents, Virgil and Ruby Lovely Griffith and two grandsons, Brian Duvall and Scott Sapienza.
Ken was born May 20th, 1939, in Middlesboro, KY and his family moved to Berea when he was two years old. He attended Knapp Hall, Berea Foundation School, earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Eastern Kentucky University, and his MBA from the University of Kentucky.
He was a Certified Public Accountant and began his career with Ernst & Ernst in Cincinnati, OH as an auditor. In 1965 he joined the faculty of Eastern Kentucky University as a professor of Accounting. During his 32 years of service, he encouraged and mentored countless students both in the classroom and as the faculty advisor to the Accounting Club. Ken also served many clients in his private tax preparation practice. He thoroughly enjoyed serving his community as a volunteer fireman for over 25 years.
Extended road trips and camping were the norm for family vacations with their children and grandchildren. He and Gwynne loved to travel and were always looking forward to their next adventure. One of his favorites was their road trip to Alaska (camping 60 nights in a row), a trip they repeated five times. Despite his enthusiasm for travel, Ken loved his hometown and was known to say when returning home, “there’s no place more special and beautiful than Berea – there’s just no place like home”.
Ken loved the outdoors, camping, hiking, backpacking, and the beach. An avid sports fan both as a participant and spectator, Ken loved tennis, basketball, football, racquetball and ping pong whether playing himself or cheering on his grandchildren in every sport they played. A true family man, Ken delighted in the accomplishments of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren’s various activities and encouraged their many individual interests and talents.
He was a lifelong faithful member of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), for 81 years. Ken was very active in the leadership of his church serving as a Deacon, Trustee, Board Chairman, and member of various committees through the years. He helped to establish the Permanent Fund of the church to ensure continued ministries for future generations.