Kenneth Raymond Wander

Kenneth Raymond Wander, 93, of Bowie, Maryland, beloved and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 after complications following surgery. He was well known for his friendliness, his compassion, his faith in God, and his humorous personality.

Ken was born on August 11, 1931, in Passaic, New Jersey, to John and Margaret Wander. After graduating from high school, Ken attended Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tennessee, pursuing a degree in Mathematics. He went on to serve in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War.

We share here a summary of some of the highlights of his life since college, in his own words, written a few years ago:

“A full life and a lot of water has flowed over the dam! Where do I start? Probably June, 1952, would be a good starting point. After graduation from Tusculum College, I didn’t have a real job, as I was waiting for my Navy Officer Candidate School (OCS) Class to start up at Newport, Rhode Island. Little did I realize that this would shape my life for the next seventy-two years.

“After graduating from OCS, being commissioned as an Ensign in the Naval Reserve, I spent the next couple of years aboard the USS Southerland (DDR-743), a radar picket 2,200 ton destroyer in the Western Pacific Ocean area. While most of our time was spent in and around Korea, we also spent time in Japan, Hong Kong, Formosa, the Philippines, Hawaii, and of course, our home port in San Diego, California.

“The call came for a transfer back to Newport to be part of a Fleet Training Group Command. Little did I realize that I would find Marge, the love of my life there, and while courting Marge for a few years, sometimes long distance, I squeezed in three years at Penn State, getting my Master’s Degree (MA).

“We married in 1958, and we spent our first year at State College, Pennsylvania, finishing out my MA. Then it was off to Maryland, where I joined the Johns Hopkins University staff as a member of the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). I found a home there, I guess you could say, and spent the next twenty-eight years there, retiring in 1986.

“During those twenty-eight years, we grew a family made up of one son, Ray, and four daughters, Ann, Cheryl, Karen, and Susan. With the exception of Susan, who lives with her family in Washington State, and Ann, who lives with her family in the Atlanta, Georgia area, the others live relatively close by in Maryland with their respective families.

“We have thirteen grandchildren, spanning ages nineteen to twenty-nine, and one great grandson. It is always a fun time when they come to visit.

“One of our joys in our life was and still is traveling around the country. We managed to get to Naples, Florida, each winter… and back to Newport each summer for extended stays. As a matter of fact, I have been to Newport every year for the past seventy-or-so years, perhaps with the exception of one year when I was riding a greyhound (1954 on the Southerland) in the Pacific.

“After retiring from APL, I formed a small company (Marken, Inc.) and spent the next ten years as a U.S. Navy Computer Development Specialist with Naval Sea Systems Command, as a consultant. I finally retired from Marken in 1996, and have wondered ever since how I ever had time to work fifty hours-or-so each week.

“Golfing, bocce, shuffleboard, corn hole (aka: “bags”)… singing with our church choir, making WEB pages, emailing friends, spending Thursdays with my friends in the Knights of Columbus YORK Club, and spending time with my wife and our children and grandchildren keeps me busy most of the time.”

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Ken was predeceased by his parents, his sister Mary, and his great-granddaughter Piper. He is survived by his wife of sixty-six years, Marguerite (nee Spero, originally of Newport, Rhode Island); his son Raymond of Woodbine, Maryland; his four daughters and their husbands: Ann & Rob Shaub of Atlanta, Georgia, Cheryl & Mark Palumbo of Riva, Maryland, Karen and Matt Gunthorpe of Bowie, Maryland, and Susan & Mike Mooney of Camas, Washington; and his nephew, Ted Geiser of Port St. Lucie, Florida.

His thirteen grandchildren and one great-grandson include Ann’s children: Kate, Ally, Becky, and Joe Shaub; Cheryl’s children: Grace Parrish (with her husband Brian and their son Miles), and Matthew & Noah Palumbo; Karen’s children: Elaine, John, and Vincent Gunthorpe; and Susan’s children: Kendall, Thomas, and Anna Mooney.

Grateful to the end, Ken Wander lived his life doing his best to make others smile. His adventurous and faith-filled spirit will live on in our hearts.

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