Kenneth W Dunwoody, beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed away Wednesday, August 24, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of 89.

Celebration of life services will be held Wednesday, August 31 at the Jones & Eden Funeral Home in Washington. The family will receive friends beginning at 1:00 p.m. with the service beginning at 1:30 p.m.. Interment with Military Honors conducted by Washington American Legion Post 29 will take place at Oregon Township Cemetery in Ainsworth. Online condolences may be sent for Ken's family through the web at www.jonesfh.com .

Ken Dunwoody was born on November 26, 1921 in rural Mahaska County, Iowa, the only child of Eslie T. and Edith Fay (Reynolds) Dunwoody. He graduated from Oskaloosa High School before moving to Washington, Iowa, and attended William Penn University on an athletic scholarship for basketball, football and tennis. He married Marilyn Jane Green of Washington on March 29, 1942, and later enlisted in the United States Navy, where he served aboard the much-decorated battleship USS Nevada during World War II, seeing action at Normandy, Cherbourg, Okinawa and Iwo Jima. After the war, Ken worked for Smart Implement in Washington, and then for more than 30 years as a sales representative for Kewanee Machinery & Conveyor Company.

After moving to Dixon, Illinois, in 1960, Ken served as the president of the Dixon YMCA and president of the River Conservancy District. He won the city bowling championship, was active in the local Camera Club, and was an active member of the First Christian Church. Ken volunteered with Habitat for Humanity organizing the work crews and also delivered Meals on Wheels. Most recently, he and his wife Marilyn resided in Atlanta, where they celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary earlier this year.

Ken is survived by his daughter, Toni Marquardt (Wally) of Oglesby, Illinois; son, Ken R. Dunwoody (Patricia) of Marietta, Georgia; grandchildren, Jacqueline Marquardt (Brian) of Oglesby, Illinois; Jonathan Seale of Baltimore, Maryland; and two great grandchildren, Michaela and Gabrielle Smith of Oglesby, Illinois.

Ken was preceded in death by his parents, and his wife Marilyn in June of 2011.

Memorials have been established to First Christian Church of Dixon, Illinois and Habitat for Humanity.