Kenneth Jurewicz, a longtime Thousand Oaks resident whose joyous laugh and love of hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains earned him the nickname “Mad Ken,” has died at 59.

Ken, as he was known to family and friends, took up hiking after returning to his hometown of Thousand Oaks from Colorado in 2005 to help care for his aging parents while continuing his career as a tile contractor.

He injected fun into the hiking groups he joined and often led, including the Weekday Trailblazers. He started night hikes with groups equipped with solar-powered lights, and his Wednesday “Humpday Hikes” became legendary. Ken’s favorite hike was arduous Ladyface Mountain adjacent to Agoura Hills, but he roamed all over the Santa Monica Mountains in addition to other destinations throughout California.

Ken loved to cook, and he would bring treats to share when he and his hiking companions reached a summit, from burritos to cookies to rosemary infused lemonade.

In his earlier years, Ken was an avid water skier. He owned a boat and enjoyed long weekends with friends at lakes throughout California and Nevada. He was known for his happy-go-lucky attitude, his quick wit, clever rhymes and easy laugh.

Kenneth Jurewicz was one of five children born in Long Island, New York, to Richard and Marion Jurewicz. The family moved to Thousand Oaks in 1965 and Ken attended Madrona Elementary, Redwood Junior High, Newbury Park High School and Moorpark College.

As a tile contractor, his specialties were renovating bathrooms and installing artistically creative tile floors, walls and entry ways, including at the Adamson House and Museum in Malibu.

After moving to Carbondale, Colo., Ken did tile work on estates in nearby Aspen while living next door to his sister Mary Ann and her husband, Tommy. Ken also worked in Aspen as a private chef to actors Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith.

In 2021, Ken moved to a home in South Carolina on beautiful Lake Hartwell, which has nearly 1,000 miles of shoreline. He was not far from where his brother Tom and wife Nedra reside in Seneca, S.C. Tom was with Ken when he passed peacefully.

Ken is survived by his sisters Diane Henson and Mary Ann Sands, his brother, Tom Jurewicz, and several nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his brother Richard, his father Richard, his mother Marion, and his Yorkshire Terrier, Mitzi.

A Celebration of Life for Ken will take place in September. Anyone wishing more information can contact his sister, Diane Henson, at dianemhenson@yahoo.com.

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/kenneth-jurewicz/obituary/

Copy