Kenneth Harold Brittain

Kenneth Harold Brittain, of Waco, passed away on December 8, 2022, at the age of 86. Ken was preceeded in death by his parents, Thomas Noel and Flora Mae Brittain and his sister, Sharon Thompson Tovey.

He is survived by his wife, Diane Duncan Brittain, and by his daughter, Barbara Brittain Elliott and her husband, Doug Elliott.  Other survivors include: his sister, Yvonne Brittain Bird and her husband, George Bird; his nieces, Paige Bird, and Lana Taylor-Caraveo and her husband Clem; his nephew, Elliott Bird;  his great-niece, Samantha Taylor and great-great-niece, Gracie Taylor; and twelve first cousins and a multitude of beloved Brittain family members.

Kenneth was born in Taft, Texas on November 18, 1936, to Thomas Noel Brittain and Flora Mae Sanders Brittain. During his years in high school, he was considered a good student, was popular among his classmates and participated in all sports, including football, basketball and baseball.  Even as he entered his senior adult years, Ken could remember details about Taft High School football games for which he was the quarterback. He graduated from Taft High School in 1955 but did not get to attend the graduation ceremony because of a broken ankle that he injured during a baseball game.

Ken attended Baylor University and graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology.  After graduation, Ken worked in the oilfields of south Texas doing chemical analysis and soil testing for several companies.

In 1965, Ken returned to work at his alma mater, Baylor University. During his time working at BU, he was dorm director at Kokernot and Penland Hall, Associate Dean of Students and Dean of Men. In 1975, he received his Master of Science degree in Education and continued to work at Baylor until 1978.

While working at Baylor, Ken met Diane Duncan, of Kilgore, Texas, and they were married in June of 1967.  In May 1974, while Ken and Diane were dorm parents at Penland Hall, they joyously welcomed their daughter, Barbara Lane, into the world.

In 1978, Ken started a career that lasted 25 years, working in the heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration industry. He never met a stranger and thus, many of his customers became his friends.  One of these customer/friends gave him the moniker of “Mr. Ken”.

After retiring from his career in the HVAC world, he began a part-time job at the Moody Library at Baylor University.  He enjoyed getting to know the students and re-kindling friendships with professors that he had known throughout his years living in Waco.

Ken’s main hobby was history – American history, Texas history, and Waco history were some of his special interests.  Whenever the family was traveling in Texas, he would want to stop at each historical marker and read every word, much to the consternation of Diane and Barbara.  On multiple family trips to San Antonio, there were many outings to the Alamo and ALL monuments, plaques and displays were thoroughly examined.  Traveling from Waco to Taft to visit family, Ken would deliver Texas history lessons and WW2 lectures from the driver’s seat – the young, impressionable child Barbara was enthralled, but wife Diane was not so welcoming of these lessons.

In 2010, Ken had the privilege of joining the McLennan County Historical Commission and contributed wholeheartedly to the efforts to preserve the history of Waco and the surrounding areas.

In November of 2022, Ken received the Historic Preservation Award from the Henry Downs Chapter of the DAR. He was deeply touched to receive such a special honor.

Ken accepted Jesus as his Savior as a young man at Alto Frio Baptist Encampment and became a member of First Baptist Church of Taft. Ken was a member of Columbus Avenue Baptist Church for 55 years, where he served as a Deacon, served in leadership with the Children’s Bible Drill, helped start the Visitor Center for the main building and the children’s building, served as the Chairman of the Deacons, and was the Chairman of the committee which remodeled the sanctuary in 1998.

Ken Brittain’s memorial service will be on Monday, December 19, 2022, in the sanctuary of Columbus Avenue Baptist Church (1300 Columbus Avenue) at 11:00 a.m. A time of visitation will follow the service and be held in the Fellowship Hall.

Registry for Kenneth Harold Brittain