Col. Kenneth William Canfield USAF, Ret.'s Obituary
Col. Kenneth William Canfield, USAF Ret.
Kenneth William Canfield, 80, of Hallsville, Texas, passed away on December 27, 2014 in his sleep.
Visitation will be held at Rader Funeral Home in Longview, Texas on January 1, 2015 from 3:00pm to 5:00pm. Rader Funeral Home will be handling the funeral arrangements. A funeral service will be held at Woodland Hills Baptist Church on January 2, 2015 at 10:00am with Reverend Charles Hunt of Woodland Hills Baptist Church officiating. Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia with full military honors.
Kenneth was born in Memphis, Tennessee to Ruth Dearing and James Thomas Canfield Sr. on July 6, 1934. He grew up in Memphis and graduated from East High School in 1952. He then attended Southern Methodist University and graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering. He also earned a Master Degree in Civil Engineering, with an emphasis on Arctic Engineering, from Arizona State University.
He went on serve his country in the United States Air Force for 28 years. His military career began in 1959 as a 1st Lieutenant Civil Engineer stationed at Elmendorf AFB near Anchorage, Alaska. His tours of duty also included Laughlin AFB, Texas, Randolph AFB, Texas, the Philippines, Korea, and Vietnam. He earned a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam, as well as a Meritorious Service Medal, National Defense Medal, and Vietnam Service Medal. Kenneth retired from the Air Force in 1986 as a Colonel. His final military assignment was the Base Civil Engineer at Elmendorf AFB, where he was the head of the same unit where his military career began.
He then went to work for the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska as the Director of Public Works. In 1994, he retired and moved to Longview, Texas and took an engineering job with the City of Longview. Upon retiring from the City of Longview, he began his own business as a home inspector which he continued until his passing.
He enjoyed boating, camping, and all kinds of fishing and hunting, and was an experienced outdoorsmen.
He was a member of Woodland Hills Baptist Church.
Kenneth is survived by his wife, Martha Sandoval Canfield of Hallsville, Texas, daughter Beverly Canfield Lothamer of Arlington, Washington, daughter Cynthia Lynne Canfield of Colorado Springs, Colorado, daughter Felicia Marie Canfield of Longview, Texas, stepson Paul Andrew Canfield of Anchorage, Alaska, brother James Thomas Canfield Jr. of Memphis, Tennessee, and sister Nancy Lambert of Horseshoe Lake, Arkansas. He is preceded in death by his father James Thomas Canfield Sr., his first wife Gwendolyn Freeman Canfield, and his mother Ruth Dearing Canfield.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Wounded Warriors Project at www.support.woundedwarriorproject.org. The family wishes to extend their gratitude for all your thoughts and prayers during this time of great sorrow.
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