Kenneth E. Denio passed away Thursday, February 16, 2012, in Ripon, CA. He was born to Hugh and Lela (Hoskins) Denio in Orcutt, CA on March 26, 1919. The family moved to the Bakersfield area (McKittrick, Woody, RioBravo, and finally Bakersfield) shortly thereafter. In 1936 he started work with the San Joaquin Light and Power Co. (SJL&P), which later became Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E). He chose to serve God in his teenage years and never wavered from that purpose.
Ken was one of the first US Army draftees in Bakersfield in March 1941. Initially trained at Camp Roberts near Paso Robles for the medical corps, he was transferred to Helena, MT, in 1943. He married Anna Danielson in Walnut Creek, CA, in November 1943. In 1944 he was transferred to Tooele, UT, then to Camp Barkley, TX, for additional basic training before being shipped to Okinawa with the US Army 381st Station Hospital surgical unit, where he served as Staff Sgt. T3 to the end of WWII. In December 1945 he returned to Bakersfield with his family to work for PG&E, play softball with local leagues, and to live at the old Denio Ranch on Rosedale Hwy. He and Anna hosted the Christian Convention at that property for 25 years. They valued the privileges and fellowship they had during those years.
Ken served as PG&E’s service representative in Trona and Ridgecrest, CA, for several years, returning to Bakersfield in 1962. He retired from PG&E in 1982, moved to Twain Harte, CA, for a short time, then to Reno, NV in 1983. Ken and Anna enjoyed traveling to Sweden, Asia, Australia, and throughout the United States with friends during retirement years. Bowling and golf were favorite pastimes. In 2003 they moved to Hughson, CA, and then to the Bethany Home Society complex in Ripon. Anna passed away in 2008. Ken continued to live at Bethany Home where he was loved by the staff and very appreciative of their kind care. He loved the occasional outings to the Sierra Nevada, the Bay Area, Bakersfield, and Cayucos for the Rea-Denio Annual Reunions with his cousins.
Ken is survived by three children, Carla (Peter) Escola of Ripon, Galen Denio of Poulsbo, WA, and Brenda (Craig) Meinhold of Beverford, VIC, Australia; seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren on two continents. Ken was loved, and will be remembered by many for his kind, loving, generous spirit, quick sense of humor, competitiveness, and especially for his faith.
A service will be held at Ripon Deegan Memorial Chapel, 111 Palm Ave., Ripon, at 2 p.m. on Wed., Feb. 22. Burial will be at Greenlawn Cemetery, 3700 River Blvd., Bakersfield, CA, at 2 p.m. on Thurs., Feb. 23.
Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
