Kenneth Leroy Andrews

Kenneth Leroy Andrews, 83, died October 1, 2008, after a brief illness. A native of Fulton, NY, he was the son of the late Charles Edward Andrews and Thelma Leroy Andrews. He was also preceded in death by his brother, Leigh Edward Andrews of Sarasota, Florida, and his sister, Jean Andrews Brown of Ogdensburg, New York. Ken graduated from Fulton High School in 1943. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II from 1943 to 1946 on the Battleship Iowa. He was aboard the Iowa when it took President Franklin Roosevelt to the 1943 Yalta Conference with Churchill and Stalin. He was also present in Tokyo Bay at the signing of the Armistice with Japan in 1945. After the war he became a textile designer and worked in the woolen industry in New York, Massachusetts, Virginia and Georgia. He studied woolen textile design and finishing at Lowell (Mass.) Evening Textile School and by correspondence. In 1964 he moved with his family to Cleveland, Tennessee where he worked for Burlington Industries until 1974 when the plant closed. Ken loved to learn. When Cleveland State Community College opened in 1967, he enrolled and attended classes in their evening program for six years, earning an Associates Degree in secondary education. Over the years he took all available classes at Cleveland State in home and commercial plumbing and electricity, small motor repair, auto tune-up and blueprint reading, while working in home and building maintenance for several employers in Cleveland and Chattanooga. In 1986, at the age of 60, he enrolled in Chattanooga State Technical Community College as a full-time vocational student in refrigeration and air conditioning and received an Associates Degree. After working for several years in the plumbing business, he retired at the age of 65. Ken loved people. He and his wife Shirley, who were married 60 years, traveled extensively during retirement. He was a member of Cleveland First Baptist Church and a faithful member of the Koinonia Sunday School class. He also directed the churchâ??s senior adult activities for several years. He was an active member of AARP, American Legion and several other civic clubs. He acted in several plays with Clevelandâ??s little theatre group. He and Shirley were also members of the Calico Squares Dance Club for 24 years. He spent 13 years of his retirement doing public service work with the Cleveland Volunteer Police. There he met Robert Derrick who became his close friend. He was also an avid reader and golfer. He is survived by his wife, Shirley Chaffee Andrews; daughters Teena (Randall) Ray of Chattanooga and Natalie (Frank) White of Clarksville; son David (Hilda) Andrews of Morristown; grandchildren Andrew (Danielia) White of Clarksville and Bethany Andrews of Nashville; step-grandson Eric (Rachel) Beck of Bailey, Colorado, and their four sons; and nephew Jonathan Andrews of St. Louis. A memorial service will be held Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. in the Community Room at Garden Plaza, 3500 Keith Street N.W., in Cleveland, with the Rev. Bill Griffith officiating. The family will receive friends for an hour before the service. Memorial contributions may be made to the Cleveland First Baptist Church Generationsâ Building Fund. The body was cremated and interred privately. Ralph Buckner Funeral Home and Crematory are in charge of arrangements.