Kenneth E. Garnett

Kenneth E. Garnett, 70, of East Waterboro, died peacefully at his home on December 28, 2011 with his family by his side.Ken was born in Harrington, Maine on February 14, 1941 to Lee and Ethel (McNutt) Garnett where he grew up and attended local schools. After finishing school he enlisted for four in the United States Marine Corps, serving in Vietnam. Ken owned and operated the former Garnett's Variety Convenience Store in Waterboro for several years. He was also employed for 20 years at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard before retiring in 2002. Ken was never a man who liked to lay idle. After he retired he began working as a bus driver for York County Community Action driving a bus. He really enjoyed this job and was very fond of the people that we worked with and the clients that they served.Ken was lovingly referred to as "Wacko" by his family and friends. This was a nickname given to him by his grandson when he was a baby. He loved woodworking and was very talented at building and repairing things. He enjoyed working on his house and on the houses of friends and family. Ken was a devoted grandfather and loved spending time with his grandchildren. He was also an animal lover and had many pets during his life including a pet skunk. At one point he even took the time to rehabilitate an injured fox in his home. Even though Ken was a man of medium stature, he possessed a personality that was larger than life. He had an excellent sense of humor and enjoyed playing jokes on people. He was not a shy person and you always knew where you stood with him. Ken faced many challenges during his life and always persevered. He believed that a solution could be found to fix any problem. He maintained a positive attitude throughout his illness, bravely fighting cancer up until the time of his death. He will be remembered as a man who live life to its fullest and will be dearly missed by his family and friends.Kenneth was predeceased by a son, David Garnett.Surviving are his wife of 26 years, Connie Garnett of East Waterboro; two grandchildren, Zachary and Alisha Garnett of Waterboro; two sisters, Rosalie Fraser of Harrington, ME and Brenda Martin and her husband Donald of Bangor; several nieces, nephews and friends that Ken considered extended family. Close family friends who were especially supportive in Ken's final journey, James and Char Bouley and their children Sarah and Sam of Waterboro and Kevin and Nancy Sterling of Jaffrey, NH. Ken is also survived by his father-in-law, Nicholas Papatones and his wife Marcia of Bradenton, FL; step-grandchildren Andrew and Vanessa McGlincey of Waterboro and his daughter-in-law, Paula Hamilton and her fiance William McGlincey of Waterboro.Visitation will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on Friday, December 30th at the Lafrance-Lambert & Black Funeral Home, 29 Winter Street in Sanford. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, December 31st at the Alfred Parish Church, 12 Kennebunk Road, Alfred, ME.The family would like to thank Michelle Levesque of the Maine Center for Cancer Medicine in Sanford as well as Dr. Kahn and the nursing staff at Southern Maine Medical Center for the care and compassion shown to Ken and his family throughout his illness.Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider the Animal Welfare Society, P.O. Box 43, West Kennebunk, ME 04094 or the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center, 22 Bramhall Street, Portland, ME 04102.To leave a message of condolence for the family please click on the condolences tab to the left.