KENAN AKAY

Kenan Nizam Akay Kenan Akay passed away peacefully at his home in Glen Ellen, CA on June 4, 2012, surrounded by loved ones. Kenan, the youngest of four children, born on June 16, 1925 in Devrek, Turkey, near the Black Sea and the son of the Provincial Tax Assessor. Always an outstanding scholar, Kenan received scholarships to study abroad. Kenan left Turkey, intending to return and was given the choice of U.C. Berkeley, M.I.T., Cal Tech and Stanford. Choosing Berkeley, he attained high honors and graduated from Cal with an Electrical Engineering degree. It was at Cal that Kenan met his future wife, Patricia, at a student dance. They developed a mutual, respectful friendship and married in Salinas after three years of dating. Kenan continued his graduate studies at the University of Southern California with a major in Power Engineering. When his studies were finished, Kenan took a job with the Pacific Gas and Electric Company that lasted 37 years. P.G. & E. promoted Kenan to Underground Transmission Engineer in charge of designing and installing all of the major underground power lines. Kenan went to Norway, France, England and Hawaii to perform consultation and design. As a member of the Professional Society of Electrical Engineers, Kenan was regarded as extremely knowledgeable and was loaned out by P.G. & E. to the Bechtel Corporation numerous times. At his retirement years ago, he received the highest accolade from colleagues: "Kenan never had a project fail!" The socially active Kenan was a member of the Peninsula Golf and Country Club, Kiwanis, the Knights of the Vine and La Chaine des Rotisseurs. He was also very active with travel, camping, fishing, tennis, skiing, ping-pong and picture framing. Kenan is survived by his wife, Patricia, his sons Douglas (Catherine) and Michael, grandchildren Everett, Emily and Alexander as well as nephews, nieces and cousins in the U.S., Canada, Germany and Turkey. A service will be held for Kenan at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 16290 Arnold Drive in Sonoma, California on Tuesday, June 12, at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations to Hospice by the Bay or St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Sonoma. Duggan's Mission Chapel Mission Cremation Service 525 West Napa Street, Sonoma, CA.