Kenneth John Zyer

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Kenneth Zyer, 66, on Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Sun City Center, Florida.
Ken Zyer was born and raised in Chicago and Orland Park, Illinois. He was a graduate of Carl Sandburg High School and Columbia College Chicago.
His illustrious 45-year broadcasting career included time at WBYG, WBUS, and WVLI with Milner Media, WGN and WBBM with Shadow Traffic Broadcasting, and WGUL with Salem Media Group, cementing him as a local radio legend. It was through this work that he developed lifelong friendships with collaborators like Mickey and Tim Milner, Chip St. James, Tom Kapsalis, Jim Brandt, and Bob Malkowski, among many others, who filled his life with laughter and elevated his natural wit and charm with their own.
In the summer of 1993, he met his wife, Debra, on a blind date. They married just over a year later in August 1994. They enjoyed seeing the world together, laughing, dancing to no music, and being Parrotheads; they cared for each other deeply. Together they raised two smart, accomplished daughters whose immense affection for him will forever mirror the affection they felt from him. He also loved classic rock, astronomy, good TV, and a cold can of Pepsi.
Ken Zyer is irreplaceable, and he will be so, so dearly missed by his family, friends, and community.
He is survived by his wife of 31 years, "the vivacious" Debra; daughters Jillian (Joshua) and Brianna (Eric); brother Dave (Connie) and sister Nancy; mother-in-law Jacqueline; brothers-in-law Don (Lori) and David; sisters-in-law Dorothy (the late Charlie) and Robin (Scott), and many cherished nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by parents Benjamin and Elizabeth Zyer; father-in-law David Wyatt; sister-in-law Michelle Hugi, and nieces Jacqui and Rachel Leipold.
Visitation will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2025, from 3-7PM at Serenity Meadows in Riverview, Florida.