Kenneth Elias

Obituary of Kenneth Elias Kenneth L. Elias, 79, passed away peacefully on a sunny afternoon on Nov. 28, 2013 in Leesburg, Fla., after a brief illness. His beloved wife, Marie, and two cherished children, Greg and Karen, were by his side. Ken was born Nov. 9, 1934, in Detroit, Mich., the son of Abraham Elias and Nellie (Jones) Elias. He married Marie Kathleen Graham in April 1961. In his early career, Ken was an engineer and metallurgist at General Motors in Warren, Mich. He and his family moved to Vermont in 1965 when Ken was hired by IBM. He worked as a chemical engineer at the plant in Essex Junction for more than 30 years. In the 1980s, Ken, along with co-workers, invented a unique process for microchip manufacturing that was awarded U.S. and European patents. In subsequent years, Ken and his wife Marie settled in Warrenton, Va., where he started a second career at Dominion Semiconductor. After residing in Virginia for nine years, he and his wife retired to Leesburg, where they enjoyed an active life that included world travel, golfing and ballroom dancing every Saturday night. Ken was an excellent conversationalist who loved to talk about virtually any topic. He had an irreverent sense of humor and a knack for well-reasoned arguments. Ken also had a gift for languages. He was fluent in German and could speak some Norwegian and Japanese. Despite his many accomplishments, Ken was down-to-earth guy who made friendships with people from all walks of life. He happily struck up conversations with anyone he met, and was as comfortable chatting with a store clerk as he was talking to his fellow engineers. He is survived by his wife, Marie Kathleen Graham Elias of Leesburg.; his sister, Carolyn Elias Brown of Westland, Mich.; his son, Greg Elias and his wife Patricia McManus Elias of Huntington, Vt.; his daughter Karen Elias Ager and her husband, Donald R. Ager Jr. of Concord, N.H.; his grandchildren, Wayne, Shania and Ian; and his nieces and nephews, Michael, Deborah, Kathleen, Lisa and Leslie. An April 2014 memorial service is planned in Leesburg. Donations in Ken's memory may be made to the Leesburg Food Bank, 1305 Sunshine Ave., Leesburg, Fla. 34748.

Kenneth Elias

November 9, 1934 - November 27, 2013