More detail on this person: Slye, Major Kenneth
M. "Ken" (USA / OSD Ret.),died on June 24, 2015
at the Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Louisville.
Born in Boston, MA on August 9, 1933 and raised
in Wellesley, MA, Ken was predeceased by his
parents, Charles Edward and Evelyn M. Slye and a
brother, George of Naples, FL and Lake
Winnipesaukee, NH.
He is survived by his loving wife Linda, son Scott
Slye of Colorado Springs, CO and daughter Susan
Fabiano (Joe) of Sarasota, FL. Also surviving Ken
are his two granddaughters Stacey Brandon (Mark)
and Audrey Ribley (B.J.) and six
great-grandchildren, Ashlynn, Will, Addison,
Cooper, Scott and Brystal. He is also survived by
Linda's son Jeff Furnish of Camarillo, CA and
daughter Meg Furnish of Vienna, Austria.
Ken was heavily involved in the local military
community and that of Fort Knox. He was a retired
Master Army Aviator with two combat tours in
Vietnam flying both Chinooks and Hueys and a
second 20-year career on the staff of the
Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.
He was a past chairman of the Louisville Armed
Forces Committee; four times past president of the
Louisville Chapter, Military Officers Association
of America; and a member of VFW 1170
Middletown, American Legion G.I. Joe Post 244
Jeffersontown and the DAV. He served on the
"Veteran Experience Board" at the Robley Rex VA
Medical Center and was responsible for the
submission of the package to Senator Mitch
McConnell to rename the current and future VA
Hospitals to "Robley Rex VA Medical Center" which
has been accomplished. Ken was also a member of
the "Medal of Honor" Committee for the national
convention held in Louisville in 2011. He was the
recipient of the 2015 Louisville Armed Forces
Patriot Award in May.
He was involved with professional tennis as an
International Chair Umpire, and he chaired matches
at the US Open, Wimbledon, French Open and
Davis Cup Ties all over the world. He was the
chair umpire at the 1987 Wimbledon semi-final
match between Stephan Edberg and Ivan Lendl. He
chaired the finals of the 1980 US Open with John
McEnroe and Bjorn Borg, the only Kentuckian to
chair the final of a Grand Slam Tennis Tournament.
Ken's tennis officiating took him all over the
United States in addition to England, Germany,
Australia, Canada, Brazil, Japan, France,
Argentina, Mexico, the Netherlands and Jamaica.
He was a graduate of the first professional tennis
officials' school held in Dallas, TX in 1976. He
began his officiating career in 1974 and
progressed rapidly within the sport's officiating
world.
Ken sang bass with the Louisville Thoroughbred
Chorus for four years and after stepping down from
the risers served as chorus manager for an
additional six years.
Ken asked to be cremated and his ashes spread at
sites meaningful to him.
Visitation will be Saturday, June 27, 2015 at
Highlands Funeral Home, 3331 Taylorsville Road,
Louisville, KY 40205 from noon to 3pm. A memorial
service to celebrate Ken's life will take place
immediately following at 3pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be donated
to a veterans' organization of your choice.
Published in The Courier-Journal from June 25 to
June 27, 2015
Burial: Cremated, Ashes scattered. Specifically:
Ken asked to be cremated and his ashes spread at
sites meaningful to him.
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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