Obituary of Kenneth L. Wyckoff, Jr.

STOW - Ken Wyckoff, USCG, crossed the bar, N8WWG “silent key” 74, passed away May 19, 2021, at the age of 74 with Cathy, his soulmate, by his side. He was born August 2, 1946, to the late Kenneth, Sr. and Leona (Brown) Wyckoff. Ken was preceded in death by his mother-in-law, Jeanette Smith, who praised him for his patience with Cathy. Ken graduated from Stow High School in 1965. He enlisted in the United States Coast Guard in 1965. He served on board the Coast Guard Cutter Owasco as a Quartermaster Third Class, where he assisted the underway officer of the deck on the bridge. He was extensively trained in all aspects of fixing the ship's position utilizing both electronic and celestial navigation. He was also trained in visual ship-to-ship communications in both semaphore and Morse code. Kenny was a true Coast Guardsman and a loyal attendee to the Coast Guard reunions arranged by Pete Marshall, and on the West Coast Reunions by the late Doak Walker, plus many other Coast Guard events in Ohio. He received the Good Conduct Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. He was honorably discharged. Ken was a member of the Cuyahoga Falls Amateur Radio Club (CFARC) and Portage County Amateur Radio Services (PCARS), Buckeye Coasties, Akron Ohio Coast Guard Veterans, Coast Guard Sea Veterans of America, and NRA. Kenny was a Splicing Technician at Ohio Bell, Ameritech, and SBC for 33 years and 8 months (1969-2002). He was always pointing out the different manholes he and his co-workers worked in. Ken was a former reserve police officer at the Stow Police Department from March 1977 to April 1982. He was also a former special deputy lieutenant for the Portage County Sheriff's Office from December 1978 to 1981. Kenny was a member of Acker-Moore American Legion Post 175 and American Legion Riders Post 566. He loved traveling, fishing, and playing cards with his high school classmates at Bill Pickering's house. Kenny was a sports fanatic watching the Cleveland Indians, the Browns, and Ohio State. He was thrilled when he had a chance of a lifetime to go to Super Bowl XXX on tickets Cathy won through Lead Line, a program through Ohio Bell. He paid it back to Cathy when he won tickets from WQMX to take her to Texas to see George Strait, Reba McEntire, and Blake Shelton, which included a "meet and greet" with Blake Shelton. Ken enjoyed traveling whether it be by car or trike. He and Cathy took off on the trike to visit his godfather, Uncle George Wyckoff, in Rhode Island, and also on another trip when his Uncle George was visiting Kenny's cousin, Serena, in Florida. While in Florida, they visited his Aunt Stella Brown, cousins Joanne and George McConnell, and Marcia and Steve Brown. They also rode the trike up to Mexico, NY, to visit with his Aunt Dora Drake and then to Sackets Harbor, New York to visit Uncle Cap and Aunt Dee Brown. He was welcomed into the homes of his Florida friends, Barb and Jack Snyder, Carol Spears, Rita and Jim Roberts, Ken Spoor, and Shirley and Andy Kacsanek. He was proud and honored to accompany Denise Kidd-Elbert and the Leathernecks Nation MC, Ma Deuce Chapter to escort the ashes of a Vietnam POW, Fred Elbert, to Arlington National Cemetery. Close to 50 motorcycles were part of the escort. He leaves behind to mourn his loss, the love of his life for 38 years, Cathy. He was preceded in death by Pat Sutton Wyckoff, the mother of his two daughters, Deborah (Wally) Wyckoff Bartels and Kathryn Wyckoff. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Leslie (Dennis) Phillips, Dianne Bartels, Tomas Bartels, and great-grandchildren, Robert English and Jessica Phillips; sisters, Barbara Wyckoff Falcone, Jean Lewis, and Carol (Kent) Wyckoff Corcoran; sisters-in-law, Charlotte Sears Wilkes, Robin Sears Kuhns, and brother-in-law, Paul Smith, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends. You can be assured Kenny's two cats, Gus BK and Boss Cat, are sitting on his lap. Keeping the memories alive of his friends and loved ones, please consider in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Awareness 22, Inc. (awareness22.com), John Clevinger, or DAV - Disabled American Veterans (secure.dav.org/site/Donation2), Thomas Dowler, or ALS Association (donate.als.org), Rick Crispin and Aunt Jane Treon, or Future National Coast Guard Museum (coastguardmuseum.org) A special thanks to the Akron VA Home Base Care, especially, Jackie Punka. Family and friends may call on Monday, August 2, 2021, from 10 AM to 12 noon at Redmon Funeral Home, 3633 Darrow Road, Stow. Service will start at 12 noon. At 1 PM, the procession will leave the funeral home to go to the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Seville. Inurnment for Kenny will be at 2:15 PM. Kenny Wyckoff will be missed by everyone who knew him. He was loved by everyone. Kenny never left "I love you" unsaid. Fair Winds and Following Seas, Semper Paratus, and RIDE IN PARADISE!!