Kenneth Franklin Easter

EASTER Mr. Kenneth Franklin Easter, 79, died Tuesday, May 8, 2007, at Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home in Winston-Salem. Mr. Easter was born on Nov. 29, 1927, in Forsyth County, son of the late Delza West Easter and Gilmer Webster Easter. Surviving are his son, Mitchell Easter, of Kernersville; sister Carol Richburg of Chiefland, Fla.; and his brother, G.W. Easter, of Wildwood, Ga. Mr. Easter' s wife, Elizabeth "Lib" Shields Easter, died in August 2002. A memorial service will be conducted at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, May 13, at Forsyth Memorial Park Mausoleum Chapel. The family will receive friends immediately after the service at the Fidelitorium Building, 991 N. Main St., Kernersville. Hayworth-Miller-Cain Funeral Home is assisting the Easter family. Ken was a self-made man who enjoyed life to the fullest, and who was renowned for his business acumen and his antennae for what was cool. He served in the U.S. Navy in the late 1940s, a time he spoke of fondly. He married Elizabeth Ellen Shields, who became a prolific painter and the mother of their son, musician Mitch Easter. Ken graduated Phi Beta Kappa with an MBA from UNC-Chapel Hill and launched a steady lifetime career at Western Electric Co., eventually becoming the company' s comptroller until his retirement in 1984. Known for his support of local musicians, including his son Mitch' s musical and recording careers, Ken was a kindly, steadfast presence when anyone of any age needed personal help. He was a modern man who liked stylish clothes, a good steak and walking his dogs.