Kenneth Elmendorf Jr.

ALTAMONT — Kenneth Elmendorf Jr., a man who adored his family, the outdoors, and combining the two, died on Thursday, July 16, 2015, with his loving family by his side. He was 76.

Mr. Elmendorf was born on July 27, 1938, on the Vosburgh Farm, to the late Kenneth and Harriet (née Klapp) Elmendorf.

He was a lifelong resident of the area.

Mr. Elmendorf trained in New York City as a draftsman, said his son, Mark Elmendorf.

“He was a skilled artist, so drafting came easily to him,” said his son.

Mr. Elmendorf worked for many years as a trade draftsman at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory and was a communicant of the New Scotland Presbyterian Church.

In addition to being a talented artist, he was an avid outdoorsman, and enjoyed hunting, trapping, and fishing, pastimes he shared with his family.

“That was basically our whole childhood,” said his son. “We always joked that we lived in the middle of nowhere, and, for vacations, we packed up and went further into the middle of nowhere.”

Lake, stream, and ice fishing, and big and small game hunting — he said his father loved it all.

“He treasured the camping trips he took with his family,” they wrote in a tribute.

In his later years, Mr. Elmendorf looked forward to visits from his special niece, Brianne, and to spending time with his beloved dog, Dolly.

“He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather,” wrote his family in a tribute.

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Mr. Elmendorf is survived by his devoted wife of 57 years, Carole Elmendorf; his sons, Thomas K. Elmendorf, and his wife, Daisy, and Mark Elmendorf, and his wife, Mary Ellen Donnelly; his brother, William Elmendorf, and his wife, Nancy; his sisters-in-law, Joan Lightheart, and her husband, Charles, and Dianne Elmendorf; and his grandchildren, Kyle Elmendorf, Kyra Elmendorf, and Keefe Elmendorf.

His daughter, Dawn Joan Elmendorf, died before him, as did his brother, John Elmendorf, and his sister, Peggy Denton.

A private graveside service for Mr. Elmendorf will be held at Memory Gardens Cemetery.

Arrangements are by the New Comer Funeral Home.

— Anne Hayden Harwood

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