Ken Woods

Ken Woods left this world on Christmas night after a valiant battle with dementia. He fought hard to maintain his ability to function in order to be present and help his husband of 47 years, Tom Kelleher, during Tom's last months of illness and end of life. After Tom passed in May of 2024, Ken's cognition began an accelerated downward spiral.

Ken was born in Portland, Oregon to Fred Alan (Al) and Barbara Jean (Jean) Woods (nee Park). He attended schools in the David Douglas School District, graduating in from David Douglas High School in 1971, later attending Mt. Hood Community College. He was known for his killer sense of irreverent humor. The family took many road trips around the Pacific Northwest. One visit to San Francisco was during the1967 Summer of Love, when the city was inundated with thousands of youth, hippies, and beatniks, kicking off a cultural revolution that changed the world. The music, art, and colorful people hanging out at Haight-Ashbury and Golden Gate Park enamored Ken and he dreamed of moving there.

At age 22, Ken and his friend, Naomi, moved to San Francisco. As a young gay man, he found acceptance and freedom there. He lived in the Castro neighborhood during the heyday of the gay liberation movement. In 1977, he met Tom Kelleher, who became his life partner. Together they traveled the world on extended trips, buying many of the art treasures that adorned their home in the Sunset District. Ken worked at several international law firms, including Graham and James, and Steinhart and Falconer, in lead management positions overseeing their accounting systems. He was highly respected in that field.

Upon retirement, Ken and Tom planned for a life of travel and leisure. The first years were great then, their lives changed when Tom underwent major heart surgery and suffered serious complications, soon limiting his strength and mobility. Ken was later diagnosed with Frontotemporal dementia, affecting his speech, memory and cognition. Together in 2024, they did their best to continue living independently until that spring when Tom was again hospitalized. Ken held his dementia in check as best he could, attempting to care for Tom.

After Tom's passing, Ken moved to New Haven, CT where Tom's nephew, Peter Gibbons and his wife, Laurie, took him under their wings, providing emotional support, managing his care and taking him on outings. They truly were angels in his final months of life. Sadly, Ken's dementia was aggressive and he lost his ability to communicate and function and passed away on Christmas.

Ken's survivors are his brother, Keith Woods, sisters Carolyn Lowe (Michael) and Susan Lynn (Richard), niece, Sara Ross and nephews, Ian Lowe, Peter Lowe and Zack Woods. Special thanks to Ken's nephew-in-law, Peter Gibbons and wife, Laurie Gibbons, and his longtime friend, Naomi Steenson. Ken was much loved and will be greatly missed.