Kenneth Richard Traywick

Ken was born October 22, 1936 in Inglewood , CA ., first born of Cleve Theodore Traywick and Evelyn Pearl Knoche.

He attended the Christian School until high school attending Inglewood High School , and graduated in 1954.

He spent several summers with relatives in Alabama , enjoying farming activities. That led to a major in agriculture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CA.

He spent a summer in Nevada studying the affects of the Atom Bomb. After graduation from Cal Poly he spent time at Lackland Air Force Base as a mechanic. At the end of his six months, he was employed in Kern County in various agricultural related jobs until he was employed by Swift and Co. as a salesman of agriculture chemicals to farmers.

In December 1959 he was at home in Inglewood and attended an evening meeting of BYF. Across the room he saw a young woman and smiled at her (and remembered her when he went to First Baptist in Bakersfield and saw her again). This was her home church.

It was love at first sight for both. On April 30, 1960 he proposed and a December 23 rd wedding was planned.

First child, Robin Beth Traywick was born 10/27/1961. Ken returned to school at Fresno State where he got his teaching credential in Industrial Arts. He obtained a Masters Degree. He was employed by Wasco High School where he taught metal shop.

Second daughter, Jennifer Lynn was born July 19, 1964, Bakersfield , CA .

Several summers Ken worked as an agriculture inspector both in Fresno and Kern Counties .

In 1968 Ken and Myrna were commissioned as missionaries for the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society to serve after training at Andover Newton Theological Seminary in Newton , Massachusetts .

Third daughter, Susan Michelle was born on February 20, 1969 in Boston , MA .

The following August our family sailed on the Queen Elizabeth II to Le Harve , France where a boat-train transported us to Paris , France .

We rented a car to drive to Brussels where we spent time studying French for our service in the Congo .

After a year we sailed out of Antwerp to Congo where Ken did agricultural work. He planted 700 citrus trees, showed the local people how to plant corn and dry it for long-term use and how to raise chickens for eggs (protein) for their babies.

All this was accomplished in a term (4 years in all).

On his return to the U.S. after a furlough he sought employment with the Kern High School District where he was employed at North High School as a teacher of four subjects, one was Industrial Arts.

After many years of work he retired. He and Myrna purchased a motor house and became snowbirds, spending summers in Washington State and returning home to California during the winter months.

Ken passed away on September 11, 2016 and his body will be flown to CA. to be laid to rest in Bakersfield , CA . Services will be held in California at a later date and Greenlawn Mortuary in Bakersfield will assist in laying Ken to rest.

Arrangements have been under the care of Hawthorne Funeral Home, Mount Vernon , WA .