Kenneth Foote, Teacher

February 22, 1935 - September 15, 2024

In loving memory of Kenneth Richard Foote, born in Torrance, CA on February 22, 1935, one of four children. Ken grew up in Bakersfield, CA and went on to attend the University of California in Berkeley where he met his wife, Janet Prather.

Ken went through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program while in high school and college and went on to serve in the U.S Navy as an officer on the destroyer USS Mansfield, which took him to Fiji, Australia, Japan and Hong Kong, as well as patrolling the South China Sea off of Taiwan. After 3 years of active duty in Long Beach and at sea, he spent 17 years in the Naval Reserve and was head of the training center at the Armory in Santa Rosa, spending 2 weeks every summer on active-duty training activities.

In 1959 Ken finished his major at Cal in English and received his teaching certificate. He would go on to earn a master's degree in Math, teaching at Dominican College in San Rafael. He taught math and English at Santa Rosa High before joining Piner High School in 1966, when it opened, as the head of the math department, where he taught until his retirement in 1995. He also taught evening math classes at Santa Rosa Junior College. Ken is remembered for his patience and dedication to his students, while also bringing his sense of humor and being quite a prankster with his fellow colleagues during classes.

Ken enjoyed singing and was part of the men's glee club at Cal, and in 1962 was invited by his old glee club director to join the chorus of the San Francisco Opera Company for their performance of Wagner's Lohengrin, where he appeared on the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House stage twice and once in the Los Angeles Opera House. He continued singing throughout his life with the Sonoma Chansons men's choir and with Knox Presbyterian Church choir.

Ken was an avid fly fisherman, outdoorsman, and loved camping trips with his extended family. They would take their trailers on long trips throughout California, Colorado, Wyoming, and to their property in Boonville. He and Jan and their two sons would also take yearly backpacking trips in the Sierras and come back with stories of surviving rainstorms and bears. He continued camping into 2023 at the age of 88, much to everyone's surprise and admiration. Ken loved playing tennis, ping pong and weekly duplicate bridge at the senior center. He enthusiastically rooted for the Cal Bears at every football game he and Jan were able to attend, and gave extra points to his students who wrote "Go Bears" on their test exams.

Ken passed peacefully at home in his sleep on September 15th, and is survived by his wife Jan, son David and wife Sherri, son Randy and wife Jessica, daughter Jennifer, granddaughter Heather and husband Kyle, grandchildren Austin and Hasley, and new great grand baby Madeline.

A family celebration of life will be held at Piner High School on November 16, 2024, from 1-3 p.m.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Press Democrat on Oct. 13, 2024.