Although Ken was born in Chicago, his family moved back to Stavanger, Norway when he was three years old. Ken endured the hardships of the Nazi occupation during World War II and returned to the United States in 1948 to claim his American citizenship. Ken then served his country as a ship's electrician in the US Navy for four years and earned several medals during three tours of duty in the Korean war zone. After his honorable discharge from the Navy, Ken was employed by several aerospace firms in Southern California from 1954 to 1962, working with missile optical alignment systems and associated electronics. It was during this time, in 1956, that he married his sweetheart, Marjorie Daly, from Pasadena, California. Starting in 1962 and for the next 26 years, Ken served as a senior missile flight safety supervisor in the US Civil Service for the Western Space and Missile Center on Vandenberg AFB. Ken lived out his faith in Jesus Christ every day by humbly serving others and modeling God's love in various leadership roles at Calvary Baptist Church where he attended for 50 years. He was proud of his Norwegian roots, and enjoyed helping out at the Norwegian lodge with the lutefisk dinners. Ken also loved woodworking, and he spent many hours making custom furniture and toys for his grandchildren. Ken is survived by his brother, Reidar Gundersen; his sister, Marit Hemsley; his daughter, Linnea Hobart; his son, Erik Gundersen; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. He is preceded in his death by Marjorie (Daly) Gundersen, his wife and best friend for 36 years; his father, Tollef Gundersen; and his mother, Sigrid (Samsonsen) Gundersen. A graveside service will be held on Monday, 11 March at 2 p.m. at Lompoc Cemetery, and a Celebration of Ken's Life will take place on Saturday, 16 March at 3 p.m. at Calvary Baptist Church in Vandenberg Village.