Kenneth H. Wessel, age 87 of Ocala, Florida, passed away on Sunday, June 11, 2023.

Ken was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Harold M. and Dorothy B. Wessel. The family moved to the Buffalo, New York area where Ken graduated from high school. Ken attended Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, earning his bachelor of arts degree. While in college Ken was on the swimming and diving team. He also gave swimming lessons to area youth.

After graduating from college, Ken enlisted in the United States Navy. Following his appointment as a Reserve Officer, Ken served as a Lieutenant. He trained with the Navy's Underwater Demolition Team (UDT), the predecessor to the Navy Seals. He was extremely proud of his service and received an honorable discharge.

An accomplished swimmer and diver, Ken worked as a lifeguard at Wildwood Beach, New Jersey. He reconnected with his close friend, Peter Coe, and the two rented an apartment in New York City. There he also met up with other Navy buddies, including Tom Peters, Paul Zipzer and others. Ken enrolled in Baruch College of CUNY from which he earned his MBA.

In New York Ken began a long and rewarding career in advertising and marketing. He worked in the media department at Batton, Barton, Durstin and Osborn (BBDO). It was at BBDO in 1966 that Ken met his future wife Nancy. The two married in November 1966. He then worked at Erwin Wasey, where he was the account executive for Contadina. He was transferred to Erwin Wasey's offices in Los Angeles where he continued working with Contadina.

After returning to Connecticut to work for the American Can Company, Ken went back to California where he was an account executive for Laura Scudder products. In the late 1970s, Ken worked on developing liquid soap, which his company marketed as Clean 'n' Rich, decades before liquid soap became ubiquitous.

In 1978 Ken and Nancy, with their two young children, relocated to the Berkshires in Massachusetts. Ken and Nancy built a house in the woods in the tiny town of Mt. Washington. After completing the house, Ken conceived the idea of starting a retail consignment shop; his vision came to fruition as The Emporium, Inc., located on Main Street in Gt. Barrington. The business consigned antiques and other items from area estates, and garnered a tremendous following that included Maria Cole, widow of Nat King Cole, and New York City producers and directors who sourced props for their plays and musicals. The Emporium also consigned a statue that was believed to have been modeled after Bette Davis; this news about Bette Davis's statue earned The Emporium a brief spot on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

Ken eventually transferred his business skills and acumen to the field of higher education. He also helped small business start-ups in Virginia and Florida.

Ken and Nancy retired to Ocala, where Tom Peters, his close friend of over 60 years, also resides.

Over the years Ken and Nancy traveled to Arizona, Colorado, and Alaska to visit their son Jim and his family. Ken especially enjoyed Alaska, where he was surprised to find good pizza in Skagway, and enjoyed an off-grid trip from Valdez to Denali National Park.

Ken was a lifelong lover of Breyer's Vanilla ice cream. He also frequently enjoyed the Number 5 Super Sub from Jersey Mikes. Ken, a consummate pizza critic, discovered Little Joey's Pizza and loved the plain cheese pizza which was as close to New York-style as one can get in Ocala. Ken's favorite movie was Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Ken is survived by his devoted and loving wife of 57 years, Nancy, his two children, Marne Onderdonk (Michael J. Belsky, Jr.) and James (Jim) M. Wessel (Maria), and his grandson Selwyn, who followed in his grandfather's footsteps as an accomplished swimmer. Ken was predeceased by his sister, Dorothy Jean Marks.

A special thank you to caregivers at Bridgewater Park Rehabilitation Center and Ocala Health and Rehabilitation.

A Navy Veterans Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 10 a.m. at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.