Kenneth Leland Soderquist passed away peacefully surrounded by loving family on Friday, May 19th, 2017 in Lompoc, California, at the age of 85.
Kenneth was born May 3rd, 1932 in Los Angeles, CA to Arthur Leonard Soderquist and Mildred Juanita Soderquist. Ken and his older brother Norman were raised in Downey, CA before their family moved to Etna, California. After graduating from Etna High School, Ken joined the US Air Force as an aircraft electrician and launched what would become his lifelong career in aerospace engineering.
Serving in the Korean War, Ken was stationed with the Air Force under Temporary Duty at international bases including Occupied Japan, Korea, Germany, and England, where he would meet his wife of 58 years, Irene Mary Vernon.
Married in Greenville, Plumas County, CA, Ken and Irene then lived briefly in Kansas, and moved to Colorado where Ken attended missile school and where their first child Sherry was born. Returning to California, they added to their family with three more children, Steven, Julie and Keith. They raised their four children in Lompoc, California, as Ken was an aerospace engineer working in missile development at the Vandenberg Air Force Base. After a brief move to Orange County, the family then returned to Lompoc, where Ken and Irene have lived for the past 35 years. At Vandenberg, Ken worked on Titan Missiles and was selected to be a member of the Air Force Shuttle Crew. Following retirement from Vandenberg after 26 years of service, Ken was then recruited to work for the Aerospace Corporation, from whom he retired after 20 years.
A motorcycle accident in 1992 took their youngest son Keith Soderquist at the age of 22, a tragedy that would remain with Ken and Irene throughout their lives. However, their resilience even in such loss is a testament to the strength of their relationship and the love they had for their family.
Kenneth was an intelligent, quick-witted and very resourceful man, and he could always be found with a book in hand. In addition to his love for reading, he had a passion for the Sierra Nevada Mountains, especially fishing and skiing with his family and friends. Ken also loved golfing, sports, working on cars, gardening, and much more. Ken's love for his 4 children and 6 grandchildren is exemplified by his devotion to attending each and every sporting event and extracurricular activity they participated in while growing up. Ken was a generous, supportive and genuine husband, father, grandfather, and friend, and he will be missed dearly.
In addition to his wife Irene Soderquist, Ken is survived by his three children, Sherry Hemming, Steven Soderquist, and Julie White, his sons-in-law Mark Hemming and Larry White, as well as his 6 grand children, who are each eternally grateful for their time shared with Ken, and happy in knowing that he is now reunited with his son Keith.
In lieu of flowers, please make any donations to your choice of charity.