Dear Kelly, in tears with You.
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The coolest moment I ever had with Ken wasn’t anything fancy. It was just a picture, a goofy snapshot of an ordinary day—but it turned into something we’d laugh about for weeks.
I had taken the kids mini golfing. Just a casual outing, nothing big. The sun was out, the kids were enjoying themselves and having fun. My son ended up coming in dead last—behind his sisters.
I snapped a photo right after the game. I shared it to Ken the caption, “Can you guess who’s the loser?” He replied instantly, like he always did, with a long string of laughing emojis 😂.”
We had such a moment with that one silly photo. Ken laughed so hard. He got such a kick out of it. It wasn’t just the picture—it was the way we turned it into a whole story. It became this running joke, something only we could keep going.
That was the thing about Ken. He loved to share stories. He didn’t just ask how you were—he really wanted to know. About you. About your family. About what made your day weird or funny or meaningful. We could talk about anything—laugh about the little things or get serious and deep without warning.
What hurts the most now is knowing I wasn’t there to talk to him when it really mattered. Maybe I couldn’t, or maybe I didn’t try hard enough. That part stays with me.
But that picture, that moment—it reminds me of who Ken was. A guy who found joy in the everyday, who could take something small and make it feel big and worth remembering. I’ll hold on to that laughter. I’ll hold on to that photo. And I’ll keep sharing the stories, just like he would have wanted.
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2023, Palisades Park, Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA, USA
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2023, Palisades Park, Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA, USA
Just the cool kids hanging out at the park after church!
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My name is Judy (Palag), I worked with Ken at Boingo. I think we were both hired in same year, and even though we worked closely from the start, it wasn’t until a few years later that I knew what he actually looked like. We kept different schedules so didn’t really see him in person in the office. Then with Covid, his department went 100% WFH, so I saw even less of him. In the summer of 2023, his team had an all-hands meeting in the LA office and he walked over to my desk to ask a question. I was on another call and motioned for him to give me a minute. Meanwhile, he stood by the window where I have these solar bobbleheads that represent holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc) so it’s my version of a wall calendar. When I got off the phone, he commented that “the set-up was “cool”. I was impressed that he got the concept! He then asked me if that’s the complete set but I replied no I don’t have all the holidays. 5 or 6 weeks later, a package showed up on my desk, with no return address. When I started to rip open the package, it was bulky but very light so I guessed it was a toy. Soon, something greenish was starting to peek out then finally I see a Leprechaun. I thought for a second, who could this have come from? but quickly recalling that day he was at my desk I was sure it was from him. I didn’t have St. Patricks Day so I was even more humbled that he may have made a mental note of ones I didn’t have. I messaged him saying “ that was very thoughtful, but you didn’t have to do that”. He replied “ I’m happy to do it. I appreciate everything that you do”. When I heard about his passing, I quickly remembered that scene from 1.5 years ago. It may have at the time seem like idle water cooler chat, but the gesture sincerely resonated with me, something I’ve never forgotten. While Ken and I interfaced regularly in the past 9 years, face to face or being in the same place happened only a handful of times, if even that, so I was practically a stranger to him. But that one chance incident created not just a memorable moment but more importantly gave me a sense of how kindhearted, considerate, and gracious a person he was even to practical strangers like me.
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2022, Santa Monica, CA, USA
Fond memories of living with Kelly and Ken ❤️
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2023, Santa Monica, CA, USA
The good times with these loves ❤️ So much love in this photo.
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