Kenneth Arnold Holmberg, World War II Pilot, avid community gardener, and dedicated husband and father, was born in Chicago in 1919, and died Sunday, July 16, 2017. He was 97 years old.
Ken will be missed by his wife of 14 years, Evelyn Holmberg, his son and daughter-in-law, Chuck and Beth Holmberg, granddaughter Sara Holmberg, and son and daughter-in-law Robert and Jayme Holmberg, as well as friends and other family members. Family and friends also pay tribute to Ken’s first wife, Lorraine, who passed away in 1995.
During World War II, Ken was a fighter pilot, and his love of flying continued throughout his life. He returned from the War to work for Commonwealth Edison in Chicago for the next 40-plus years.
In his spare time, Ken grew award-winning dahlias and volunteered at the Friendship Park Conservatory as a designer of gardens for local parks. Since 1956, he was a prominent member of St. Mark Lutheran Church, where he also worked as a groundskeeper.
In 1990, Ken received the Village of Mount Prospect Elderhonor Award for outstanding contributions as a Senior Citizen.
For the past 28 years, Ken was an active resident of the Moorings in Arlington Heights, where he participated in the ROMEO singers, shared his love of gardening, and enjoyed reminiscing about his exploits as an airman.
One of the greatest joys of his later life was his marriage to Evelyn when they were both in their eighties. Ken and Evie were reunited after having grown up together in a community of Scandinavian immigrants.
Services will be held at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Mount Prospect on Friday, July 21, at 10:00 am.