Kenneth Lee Smith's Obituary
Kenneth Lee Smith was born May 9, 1959 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Blaine and Bobbie Smith. On May 15, 2015 surrounded by a family that loves him dearly, Ken left us to go to his heavenly home. Ken always loved the outdoors and being active. As a youngster if you could throw it, catch it, hit it, bounce it or kick it Ken wanted to try it. He also loved his time in Scouting. As a young adult he continued to play softball, basketball and golf as well as developing a real love for fishing. Ken graduated from Tulsa Nathan Hale High School in 1978. He began attending OSU the next fall and absolutely loved every minute of it resulting in a lifelong fan of OSU athletics. Sometime after his sophomore year he had the opportunity to go to work for Warren Petroleum and continued his studies at night. Ken received his undergraduate degree from OSU and a Master’s degree from the University of Tulsa. Ken joined Kaiser Francis Oil in 1982 and has remained there ever since. In 1987 Ken was introduced to Brenda Batt by his sister in law Tina. They knew very quickly they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together and were married on May 28, 1988. They are very proud parents to two beautiful children, Valerie and Vincent. Although he was a great son, a wonderful brother and a loyal friend to many, it was as a husband and father that Ken was at his best. He loved being married to Brenda and words alone cannot describe his love and pride in Valerie and Vincent. Ken is survived by his wife Brenda, his daughter Valerie, his son Vincent, parents Blaine and Bobbie Smith; brother Larry and his wife Jan Smith and their children Clayton and Ashley Smith; brother Jim and his wife Tina Smith and their children Daniel Smith and Mary and Alex Paulison; brother Greg and his wife Angela Smith and their children , Brynne Smith, Cheyenne and husband Ronnie Coffman. Mother in law Mary Batt , brother in law Dan and his wife Erin Batt and their children Dana and Kelsey Batt; sister in law Laurie and her husband Len Sterle and their children Lauren and husband Scott Divoky, Lance, Lenny, Lee and Lindsay Sterle; sister in law Mary Lynne and her husband Michael Schaefer and their son Brayden Schaefer; brother in law David and his wife Chris Batt and their children Adam and wife Kelly, Andrew and Alex Batt; sister in law Julie Hoellrich and her children Jaide and her husband Jaylon Williams, Jena, and Cierra Hoellrich; and brother in law Joel and his wife Amber Batt and their son Vincent Batt as well as many aunts, uncles, great nieces and great nephews, friends and co-workers. To know Ken was to love him. He was the strongest person we will ever know. He is and always will be our hero. Funeral Mass was held Thursday 10:00 a.m, May 21, 2015 at the St. Benedict Catholic Church with interment at Floral Haven Memorial Gardens in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to the Kenneth L. Smith Memorial College Fund in care of Bank of Oklahoma. Please call Lynn Hall @ 918-595-3094 to make donation or mail to : Attn: Lynn Hall BOK Tower, P.O. Box 2300, Tulsa, OK 74192.
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