Kenneth Walter Clawson
April 30, 1947 – June 8, 2023
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved friend and brother, Ken, at the age of 76. Ken died peacefully at his home in Tavares, Florida, of natural causes.
Ken was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Roy and Iva Clawson on April 30, 1947. He is survived by his loving sisters Sherry Ainscough (Keith) and Joni Kohagen (Mark); his beloved goddaughter, Tiffany Baker, best friend Ben Baker, and the whole Baker clan (his Florida family); nieces Nicole Ainscough (son, Logan Senko), Erika Ainscough (partner, Sylvain Lapointe), Malinda Trujillo, (Miguel Gonzales; children, Adelia and Sebastian); Catherine Clawson, Amber Clawson, Cristen Clawson, and nephews, David Trujillo, Anthony Clawson, Chad Clawson, Adam Ainscough (Meredith Chalmers; Cameron and Anna), a special friend,
Stephanie Winters and many cousins. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Daniel Clawson.
Ken was fun, kind, funny, stubborn and generous. He loved to cook, was a wonderful host, an avid reader, a talented carpenter, and a serious fan of all kinds of music, though he couldn’t “carry a tune in a boxcar”. His words. Friends and family agreed.
In October 1964, he and his lifelong friend, Ben Baker, hatched a plan to join the Navy to see the world together. Their plot was thwarted when they were split up. They served separately from 1964-1968. Ken was assigned to the USS Galveston, where he proudly served as a Gunner’s Mate Missiles, GMM. He was promoted to third class petty officer, GMM3. He later wrote a memoir about his time in the Navy, “A Tale of Two Sailors” by Charles Chickens, which he shared with family and friends. It is full of stories, a few photos, some technical stuff about the goings on in a ship, anecdotes, and he ended most tales with “nuff said”. He was a gifted writer and captured his time in the Navy with wit and humor.
A quote from the memoir says much about Ken’s time at sea. “I loved my mid watch time. You could see every star in the sky, it was dead quiet, there was always a slight breeze from the movement of the ship, and you could see the phosphorescence from the propeller for miles. It was the most peaceful place I had ever encountered. And…I was never lonely when I was there.”
In 1970, he joined the Orlando Fire Department (1970-1982) where he attained the rank of Engineer. From 1983-85, Ken worked in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as a Battalion Chief, where he assisted in the development of a local Fire Department. After his time in Saudi, Ken returned to Florida and worked as store manager for 7-11 and Circle K stores. He retired in 2016. Ken was a man full of contradictions. He loved living in Florida, but didn’t like beaches. He was in the Navy, but didn’t like the water. He loved cats, but had allergies. Go figure.
He had a dry sense of humor, liked to tease, and was vain about his hair. He was fastidious about his clothes. He ironed everything. He loved football, and most recently, he cheered for the Kansas City Chiefs, but he changed teams often. It depended on who was winning.
From 2014-2020, Sherry, Joni and Tiffany, who he lovingly referred to as girly girly, joined him for a few weeks each year to see the sights. His people called him “the Claw”, a name he acquired in the Navy and subsequently kept, with pride. He liked nothing better than to show off the wonders and beauty of Florida, so there were trips to St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Blue Spring, fabulous flea markets, and many, many beaches. The sisters and Tiffany enjoyed the ocean and the sand while Ken happily read nearby, fully clothed.
One of Ken’s favorite spots was Blue Spring. He and friends would often go for a weekender to drink beer, cook good food, play cards, laugh and tell stories, and, that is where he would like friends and family to gather to do the same, in his name.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Ken’s name to your favorite charity. A celebration of Ken’s life will be held at a later date.
