DON McCORMACK
Though he was laid to rest a few weeks ago in Hollywood, Fla., the life of Ken Crandall will be celebrated at memorial service Saturday.
The former standout point guard for coach Rick Nemet’s Jefferson Falcons, Crandall, a 1980 Jefferson graduate, died unexpectedly Oct. 11 while running on the beach.
The service will be held at the Jefferson Community Center from 2:15-4 p.m. and anyone planning on attending is asked to arrive before 2:15.
A tremendously athletic guy all his life, Kenny, who was someone I not only played alongside, but also admired and respected, kept himself in tip-top shape, competing and winning road races up until his stunning death at age 47.
As a sophomore, he was the starting point guard on Nemet’s 1978-79 Jefferson team that won only the school’s second sectional championship and its first since the 1946-47 campaign.
Though all of the other marquee players were lost to graduation after that season, including Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation Hall of Famer Chuck Stevens, and fellow starters Nate Wilson, Kevin Justice and Steve Parsons, Crandall took over as a senior in the 1979-80 season to lead Jefferson to a Grand River Conference championship.
The husband of Elaine, whom he married on March 20, 1993, Ken — known as “KC” by those who knew him well — was part of a terrific athletic family.
His older brother, Todd, who like him was taken much too soon, was a fabulous golfer at Harbor High School then went on to a stellar four-year career at Florida State University, where he earned All-America honors in 1974 and 1975 for the Seminoles (one of only 5 golfers in school history to do so twice) and finished eighth in the 1975 NCAA Tournament. He won the Ohio Open Tournament in 1975, putting him in the same company as Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and fellow major champions Tom Weiskopf, Herman Keiser and Denny Shute.
His younger sister, Shellie, was the first in the line of great girls basketball players at Jefferson and its first 1,000-point scorer, putting up 1,067 points before graduating in 1982 and being inducted into the ACBF Hall of Fame in 2005.
His mom, Dianne “Happy” Bowdler, owned and operated the Happy Acre Miniature Golf Course for many a year. Remember the hilarious radio commercials?
Known for his selflessness, his compassion and his sense of humor (which he obviously got from his mom), Kenny’s memory will remain for all who had the pleasure of knowing him. For those who did not have the pleasure, the Ken Crandall Memorial Scholarship has been established for Jefferson athletes.
Kenny’s niece, Ashley Fisher, has established a Web site for anyone wanting more information or wanting to make a contribution can visit — www.kencrandallscholarship.com. Contributions can also be made at any branch of Key Bank.
The fact Kenny left us because of a heart condition is shocking to all of us who knew him and knew what an athlete he was. However, we can be comforted that he did so while doing what he loved — running on Hollywood Beach — where fellow runners had dubbed him, “Sandman,” because Ken was always there... always running.
There’s no need to run anymore, Kenny.
You can rest easy.
You won’t be forgotten.
Flower power
When I first wrote of Kenny’s death last month, I mentioned a few amusing things that went on during our high school days together.
One of those mentioned how he purchased flowers for his homecoming date, the gorgeous Diane VanSlyke — plastic flowers.
Well, lo and behold, the next day, a message from the gorgeous DVS showed up in my inbox.
Now living in Hawaii, where she’s been since 1985, Diane said she believed the deal with the plastic flowers “was to get a reaction from me. He came through with the real flowers when picking me up!”
Psst, Diane, that was only because another of our buddies, Roger Wesely, hammered on Kenny for getting you the plastic flowers.
Ironically, Ken and Diane, herself also a 1980 Jefferson graduate, were born on the same day — Father’s Day, 1962 (June 17) — at Ashtabula General Hospital, now ACMC.
“I now recall that he was sneaking peeks into my bassinet incognito (wearing that KC cap),” Diane said with a laugh.
Diane offered what has become a familiar refrain to all of us who knew Ken.
“It’s shocking that in all of these years of healthy living that he would leave this way so soon,” she said. “He certainly would not want us to be sad, but to celebrate his life.”
And on Saturday, that’s exactly what will happen.
McCormack is the sports editor of the Star Beacon. Each him at donmac@suite224.net.
