Kenneth "Ken" James Patrick

Kenneth “Ken” James Petznick passed away peacefully on July 30th, 2025, with his wife at his side, as his granddaughters shared their favorite memories with him by phone. He was 72 years old and a beloved father, papa, son and friend.

Ken was born in Watsonville, CA, to Richard and Fay (Oksen) Petznick on January 25th, 1953, the second of three children. His childhood was spent clamming at the beach, shooting targets at the levee, racing along his newspaper delivery route, and wrangling the family’s many backyard pets on Palm Avenue. He had a sense of joyous curiosity, and old friends could identify him in a crowd just by the bounce in his step.

Ken graduated from Watsonville High School in 1971 and continued learning things of interest to him through stained glass, sewing, metalworking, and local history classes at Cabrillo. He also earned his pilot’s license to fly the family 1941 Taylorcraft, and was amused when some of his more reckless exploits caught the FAA’s attention. Local history was his favorite subject, and, as a lifelong collector, he especially enjoyed sharing the stories of his antiques, art, and ephemera.

Ken worked at National Refractories in Moss Landing for many years, where he made cherished friends in the Beach Club. When the brick plant closed, Ken moved across the street to the power plant, where he ran their harbor program and enjoyed schmoozing with the boat owners and live-aboards. After he retired, Ken was a professional putzer: you could always find him restoring old scales and plaques, working on a new landscaping project, fixing what broke, or making a trip to the corner store for his grandkids’ treats and his daily scratcher vice.

Though he never strayed far from where his life started, Ken loved an adventure and spent much of his years camping, exploring backroads, and enjoying road trips with friends and family. Some of his more memorable exploits went awry, which left him with plenty of sage advice for his children, the best of which is unprintable.

A man with a thousand interests is never bored, and that was the spirit of Ken. Ken leaves behind his wife, Sandra Petznick; children Sean Petznick, Tracy Petznick Johnson (Chris), Ethan Petznick Wright (Jasmine); stepmother JoAnn Petznick; sisters Kathy Perry (Charlie) and Kari Petznick; and granddaughters Harper and Riley Johnson, who were the joy of his later years.

Ken’s life will be remembered in stories, scratchers, and steel (oxidized). A celebration of Ken will be held on Saturday, September 27, 2025, at 2pm at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church - 9850 Monroe Ave., Aptos, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Ken’s name to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. May he rust in peace.