Kenneth Roger McElvain
Kenneth Roger McElvain was born March 23, 1939 in Cheyenne, Wyoming to Roger and Elda McElvain. When Ken was young, his family, including identical twin brother Richard and his sister Beverly, moved to Los Angeles, California. Ken attended Santa Fe High School and joined the Air Force at age 19 by entering cadet school. He was a navigator-bombardier in The United States Air Force, achieving rank of Captain. In 1959 he married Carolyn Jones.
In the Air Force, Ken saw duty in Southeast Asia as well as missions during the Cold War with targets in the Soviet Union. Joining the Air Force allowed Ken and his family many opportunities. He had the opportunity to attend college and received a degree in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science from Colorado State University. After his service in the Air Force, he and his family moved to Pullman, Washington where Ken entered graduate school studying computer science at Washington State University. In the next ten years, he became a lecturer in the statistics department and a scientific programmer, helping experimentalists in many fields design and analyze their experiments. In the early 1980s the family moved to Houston, Texas where Ken worked in scientific computing for Aramco and Exxon.
Ken was divorced in the early 1990s. He opened his own plumbing supply business and continued his work in software by designing placer software for microchips. In 2002, Ken married Betty Dunbar Biddy, enjoying his new life of young grandchildren, traveling by RV, cruising, dancing and searching for the perfect carrot cake. Ken had a strong work ethic which he instilled in his family. Ken was a generous and loving man.
Ken is survived by his wife Betty, sister Beverly Morgan, son Kenneth Scott McElvain and wife Alissa Yaffa, daughter Deborah Sue Webster and husband Dean Webster, son Kevin Wayne McElvain and wife Susan McElvain, stepson Richard Biddy Jr. and wife Dana Biddy, and stepdaughter Rebecca Hensley and husband Philip Hensley. Grandchildren are Sarah Cordua, Matthew Webster, Mason McElvain, Ethan McElvain, Allison McElvain, Brian McElvain, Jodi McElvain, David Biddy, Lara Biddy, Brooke Hensley, Kendall Hensley and great grandchildren Michael Cordua and Charley Cordua. Graveside services were held at Franklin Cemetery in Franklin, Texas on Sunday March 22, 2020.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date.