Kenneth Lear of Dallas, Texas passed from this life on Tuesday, November 13, 2018, after a courageous fight with cancer. He was 85. Kenneth was born July 23, 1933 to Clyde Lear, Sr. and Ruth (Marx) in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Altoona High School in 1952 and played in the Federation Baseball League. Ken enlisted in the United States Army stationed at Fort Hood Texas, where he met and married Nona Summers, his wife of 63 years. They moved back to his home town of Altoona where he went to work for the Pennsylvania Railroad. He never got the railroad out of his blood. Ken went on to become Vice President of Sales for Chromium Corporation then moved to Texas to work with Turbo Power Systems until he retired. Ken and Nona had six children and were members of St. Theresa Parish. They moved to Oklahoma’s Grand Lake, after retirement, so he could pursue his lifelong dream of fishing and boating. Gregarious and unflappable, Ken will be missed and remembered for his love and laughter. He was always the life and center of the room, making friends wherever he went.
He is survived by his wife, Nona Summers; son, Brian Lear and wife Pamela; daughters, Cynthia Greider and husband Mark, Tiffany Middaugh and husband Rick; grandchildren, D.J. Precourt, Nikki Sevey, Joshua Lear, Dustin Lear, Lauren McKinney and Michael Middaugh; great grandchildren, Addison and Luke Sevey and Asher Lear; sister, Helen Joyce of Levittown Pennsylvania; sister-in-law, Betty Peal of Ozark, Missouri; 13 nieces and nephews; and numerous other loving family and friends.
Sadly, Ken was preceded in death by his three children, David Lear, Daniel Lear and Sandra Lear.
A funeral service will be held at 7:30 p.m., Friday, November 16, 2018 at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas. The family will receive friends during a visitation 30 minutes prior to the service and until 9:00 pm, after the service, at the funeral home.