Kenneth Walter Clawson's Obituary
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 humour.
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 humour, 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 favourite 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 favourite charity. A celebration
of Ken’s life will be held at a later date.
What’s your fondest memory of Kenneth?
What’s a lesson you learned from Kenneth?
Share a story where Kenneth's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Kenneth you’ll never forget.
How did Kenneth make you smile?