- Date Of Birth: July 19, 1913
- Date Of Death: December 8, 2010
- State: Michigan
Kenneth S. Pearson, age 97, living at Colonial Villa, died on Wednesday December 8, 2010. The son of the late Lorne O. and Maud (Boucher) Pearson was born in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada on July 19, 1913.
The family moved to Pontiac, Michigan in 1927. Ken’s father had been involved in real estate, among other pursuits, and decided to build a house on ‘spec’ in Pontiac. The house was ordered from the Sears catalog and Ken recalled watching four horse drawn wagons deliver the house, which was raised while he was in school the next day. When the stock market crashed, the family, unable to sell the house, had to move in and arrange with Sears to try and pay it off. Ken lived there to finish high school and his parents occupied it for the rest of their lives.
Ken graduated twice from Pontiac Central. First in 1930, and again in 1932, after he and a friend convinced a teacher to let them take post graduate courses in math and science that they had avoided the first time. This gave them enough hard credits to get into college, and Ken headed to Michigan Tech where he graduated with honors in chemical engineering. Ken met and married Kathryn Larson, of Houghton in 1938, and they moved to Cincinnati, where she received her Masters in Education from the University of Cincinnati. While living and working in Cincinnati, Ken became a Naturalized Citizen. They moved to Midland in 1940 when Ken took a job with Dow, where he spent the rest of his career, retiring in 1977. He was employed as a chemical engineer and was a plant superintendent and later worked in product planning.
Ken’s first wife Kathryn, died in an auto crash in Stratford, Ontario, in 1977, shortly after he had retired. Ken then met Fern (DeGeer) Ecarius of Midland and they married in 1980. He and Fern were able to enjoy traveling to many countries before they moved into Colonial Villa in 2004, where they enjoyed the staff. Ken was an avid photographer and when age made those efforts difficult he took up wood turning. He produced many fine bowls that are treasured by his family. During his life in Midland Ken was active in the Midland Camera Club, the Midland Curling Club, the Midland Nature Club and enjoyed playing pool with the retirees at the Community Center. He also volunteered weekly at the Red Cross, copying tapes of people reading the Midland Daily News for the visually impaired.
He was preceded in death by his second wife, Fern (Ecarius), who passed away last November of 2009. Ken is survived by his two children, Karen Miki of Sarasota, Florida and Karl of Traverse City; Fern’s two children, Pamela Ecarius of Midland, and Jim Ecarius of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; two grandchildren, Ajana Miki of Ashland, OR, Christine Miki of Baltimore, MD; four step grandchildren, Nic Ecarius of New York City, Ryan Ecarius of St. Augustine, FL. Megan Kaser of Lexington, KY, Debra Kaser and her husband, Jason Dominy of Middletown, OH. In addition to his parents, Ken was preceded in death by his brother, Harold and his wife Gwen, all of whom resided in Pontiac, Michigan. Harold left one son, Ken’s nephew, Robert Pearson of Lansing, Michigan.
