Kenneth W. Jack

SOUTH PORTLAND – Kenneth W. Jack, 74, passed away Sept. 2, 2023, after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease. Even though he was diagnosed in 2012, he made every attempt to live as normal a life as possible.

Ken was born on Feb. 3, 1949 in Portland. He attended Portland schools and graduated from Cheverus High School in 1968. In 1972, he earned his college degree from the University of Maine in Fort Kent. His family and friends often teased him that he went to what seemed to be a wilderness campus on the roof of Maine, but Ken often spoke fondly of his years at Fort Kent and often remarked of its natural beauty. While at Fort Kent he made frequent trips to Montreal and other parts of Canada with his college buddies.

Ken had a long career in Social Services, working at Baxter School for The Deaf, and Pineland Center. From 1995 – 2012, Ken was a Crisis Worker for the Department of Health and Human Services.

In 1995 he married Theresa McKeen, his beloved wife of 28 years. Theresa was his primary care-giver for most of his battle with Parkinsons.

Ken was a trivia genius, loved the game of Trivial Pursuit, and seldom lost to all those who challenged him. Also noted for his incredible luck in any type of game, including cards, he always seemed to pull up more than his share of Aces. When he decided to spend a day at Oxford Hills Casino, no doubt the managers of the casino probably debated if they should lock the doors. One of his brothers admitted that he hated to play Monopoly with Ken, because he always seemed to own Boardwalk and Park Place, which always seemed to lead to his brother’s bankruptcy.

Ken left behind a whole lot of stuff that his wife has no idea what to do with, including a large vinyl record collection, and perhaps one of the largest private collection of sports cards in the state.

Ken was also an avid sports fan, faithfully following seemingly every pitch and homerun of the Red Sox, and every touchdown of the Patriots.

What Ken lacked in stature…yes, he was short, he compensated with an over-abundance of witty sayings, off colored jokes, and a healthy dose of feistiness.

Ken is survived by his wife, Theresa of South Portland; his daughter, Alice of South Portland; his brothers, Stephen and his wife Joyce of Windham, Brian and his wife Anne of Novato, Calif., and Davis and his wife Kimberly of Melrose, Mass.

The family would like to express our thanks to the staff of Sedgewood Commons for the excellent care of Ken for the past two months.

A celebration of Ken’s life will be held on Saturday, Nov. 4, at 10 a.m. at the Conroy-Tully Walker South Portland Chapel, 1024 Broadway, South Portland. To view Ken’s memorial page, or to share an online condolence, please visit http://www.ConroyTullyWalker.com.