Kenneth L Furman

Kenneth Furman will be remembered in many ways including as a hard worker, a true patriot, and a fun-loving man, but it was his role as the rock of his family for which he will be so deeply missed. Those who knew Ken knew they had better watch their plate if they were eating together since he was known to steal your plate right out from under you! He could masterfully weave a story and was always full of sound advice and wisdom that was priceless. A stroke took away Ken’s ability to speak, but it couldn’t steal his heart as he was still a master of reaching those around him with his tender touch and generous spirit. A true gift to those around him, Ken will be dearly missed.

Although the decade of the thirties was blanketed by the Great Depression, there was great cause to celebrate in the family of Clifford and Caroline Furman as they welcomed the birth of their son, Kenneth, on April 18, 1933. Born in Twin Lake, Michigan, Ken was the ninth of ten children in his family that was always bustling with activity. His father worked as a mason and carpenter while his mother certainly had her hands full at home. The children had to help out, too, and when Ken was asked to watch his sister Alda one day, he took her down by the lake to do some fishing. He made a great catch and ran home to show everyone, but left his sister alone at the lake in all his excitement. As a young boy, Ken loved the outdoors and animals, especially dogs, and he loved to play baseball, too. Because there was only one vehicle for the family to use, all 10 kids would pile in to take trips to their grandma’s sister’s place in the Upper Peninsula to go hunting, fishing, and swimming. Since it was a pickup truck, the kids in the back would be covered with a tarp if it was raining – what a sight that must have been! Ken attended Twin Lake Elementary and went on to Muskegon High School, but dropped out in the 10th grade to join the Army.

Life was forever changed for Ken when he was home on leave one day. Although he had a girlfriend at the time, he was smitten with a young girl he met named Caroline Williams, but everyone called her Salley. At first Salley thought Ken was a bit arrogant but over time, he grew on her when he came by to visit the ice cream parlor where she worked. While in the service, Ken was stationed in Korea during the Korean Conflict and was part of the 44th engineering group that was responsible for blowing up bridges and similar structures. He was awarded the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the Defense Service Medal, the Republic of Korea Unit Citation Medal, and the Meritorious Unit Commendation. Ken’s love of country would remain with him for the rest of his life as he always saluted fire trucks, policemen, and other servicemen or even boats as they would go by.

Not to be forgotten while he was in the service was the young Salley. After Ken and his girlfriend broke up, Salley asked Ken if he would accompany her to her senior prom - he gladly accepted. A whirlwind romance ensued and the couple was married on September 3rd of that same year, 1955. In fact, they were so excited about getting married that they forgot about the three day waiting period for a marriage license and ended up paying extra to override that requirement. The couple settled in the Twin Lake area where Ken started as a member of the Twin Lake/Dalton Fire Department during the late fifties and early sixties. He eventually became a Dalton constable, a reserve sheriff, and a member of the American Legion #397 honor guard.

The couple was overjoyed to become the parents of their son, Richard Lawrence in 1958, and their daughter, Penny Louise in 1963. In order to support his family, Ken worked as a punch operator at American Coil Springs, but his heart truly beat to be a husband and father. He and Salley traveled all over, even internationally, with their daughter who was part of the Maycroft Square Tappers. Ken passed along his love of the outdoors to his son Richard. Many fun-filled times were spent while father and son were hunting and fishing together. As a family, they loved to go smelt dipping in the Upper Peninsula and morel mushroom hunting, too. Ken’s extended family was important to him also, and so he and Salley hosted their family reunion on their property along the Muskegon River every year and the Christmas party as well. Ken had two pugs that he loved like part of the family, Babe and Buckshot.

One of the things that Ken was most known for was his love of the outdoors. Finally awarded with a spot in the Elk Hunt in Atlanta, Michigan, Ken was so proud of the 800 pound elk he, his buddy and Richard got, despite the ice in the engine of his brand new pick-up. Ken passed his love of the outdoors along to his son, but also to his grandsons. The family will never forget the time he took his grandson Ken squirrel hunting. Ken ended up putting a squirrel in his back pouch only to find out a short time later that it was still alive! After much turmoil, they finally finished off the squirrel. When Rich was finally given permission to shoot his grandpa’s 10 gauge shotgun, he ended up on his butt a few feet back with the slug on the ground instead of in the can set up for him. Ben treasured the times they loaded up the pick-up to go tubing and the great talks he had with his grandpa, too. After Ken retired in 1991, much of his free time was spent with his family and volunteering with Salley, for the department of human resources, driving those in need to their appointments.

Although he could seem a bit rough around the edges, Kenneth “Ken” Furman was loving and kind. Known as Uncle Bullhead, he was also generous and fun-loving and in so many ways, a kid at heart. An avid outdoorsman, Ken saw the beauty in each new day and will be deeply missed by many.

Kenneth L. "Ken" Furman died on Thursday, October 21, 2010. Ken’s family includes his wife, Salley Furman; son, Richard (Lori) Furman; daughter, Penny (Jeff) Wiseman; sisters, Alda Martin, Ardis Melville; grandchildren, Richard, Kenneth, Tony, Benjamin, Jared, Christine, Virginia, Sara, Kimberly; great grand children, Braelynn, Kamina, Chloe, Ava; several nieces & nephews. Ken was preceded in death by his parents; siblings, Clifford, Clarence, Douglas, Genevieve, Donna, Elizabeth & Carol. Services will be held on Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 11:00 a.m. at Twin Lake United Methodist Church with Rev. Mary Loring officiating. Interment at Twin Lake Cemetery. Visit with Ken’s family and friends on Monday, 2-4 & 6-8 p.m. at Clock Life Story Funeral Home – Muskegon location – Muskegon, MI, and Tuesday, 1 hour prior to the service at the church. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to leave a memory or sign the online guest book.