Kenneth John Oscar

12/26/1946 - 05/10/2025

Kenneth John Oscar of Fairfax Station, Virginia passed away surrounded by his family on May 10, 2025. Born on December 26, 1946 in Stamford Connecticut to Stella and John Oscar, Ken graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Physics from Clarkson University in 1968 and then received his Doctor of Philosophy in Physics from American University in 1980. Ken had an extensive civilian military and defense career, starting in 1968 at United Aircraft. He served in various capacities for the United States Army, most notably as Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army, focusing on Research, Development, and Acquisition in 1997–1998 and again in 2001–2002 with a focus on Acquisition, Logistics and Technology. Other roles included, but were not limited to: Director of the Combat Engineering Laboratory at the Belvoir Research and Development Center, Acting Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy in the Office of Management and Budget, and Deputy Commander for Procurement and Readiness for the Tank-automotive Command (TACOM), for which he worked alongside General James Monroe during the Gulf War. In 2002 Ken left public service and became Vice President for Strategy at Fluor Corp.
After his retirement in 2019, Ken dedicated his time to serving on various corporate boards in the defense and technology sectors, such as Saab Defense, Euteslat America Corp., and Ultra Electronics. Ken also enjoyed boating on Lake Winnipesaukee with his grandchildren and traveling globally with his wife of 57 years, Barbara Oscar. In addition to his wife, Ken is survived by his brothers Richard and Michael Oscar, and his daughters Susan Urias and Kristin Zauel. He also leaves behind six grandchildren: Gabriela, Ariana, Jocelyn, Drew, Ainsley, and Caleb.
Visitation will occur from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, May 23 at Fairfax Memorial Park. A memorial service and reception will be held at Lord of Life Church in Fairfax, Virginia on Saturday, May 24 at 11 a.m., followed by Ken's burial at Fairfax Memorial Park at 2 p.m. Memorials can be given to the Lord of Life Memorial Fund.