Kenneth W. Piper, 90, of Washington, passed away at 11:45am Saturday, December 9, 2023 at Washington Senior Living.

He was born March 23, 1933 in Eureka to the late William S. and Lillie Gerth Piper. He married Henrietta M. Kesler on June 19, 1954 in El Paso; she preceded him in death on May 4, 2016.

Surviving are his six children, Barbara A. (Dennis) Flowers of Columbia, PA, Susan K. (Jim) Culshaw of Peoria, Karen L. Munoz of Washington, Peggy J. (Galen) Smith of Manito, William K. (Crystal) Piper of Pekin, and Michael L. (Jennifer) Piper of East Peoria; eighteen grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

He was also preceded in death by ten half siblings and one brother.

He went on to work for Caterpillar for over 30 years, retiring from the tech center. In his retirement, he worked 27 years at Kimpling Ace Hardware. He was a longtime member of Northern Tazewell Fire Department and was also a volunteer fireman at Caterpillar. Kenneth was a believer and a member of Pekin First Church of the Nazarene. He served in the US Air Force during the Korean conflict, he was stationed in Greenland. In 2016, he was able to take the Honor Flight, a trip he enjoyed with his son Bill. He was also a racing fan, following NASCAR and serving in the pit crew at Peoria Speedway.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

A graveside service with military honors will be held at 10:00am Saturday, December 16, 2023 at Hillcrest Memory Gardens in rural Morton.