Kenneth Charles Browde
Age 71, of Pleasant Lake, MI, passed away June 19, 2021, in Ann Arbor, MI. He was born May 6, 1950, in Chicago, IL, to the late Marvin and Cecil Browde.
Ken was known to be a boisterous personality with a zest for life. His childhood IQ test indicated he was exceptionally gifted; he translated his gifts into a long career in rehabilitation services through his work with the Abacus Rehabilitation Group and the Browde Rehabilitation Consulting, LLC. He took great pride in his work and put a strong professional focus on helping others overcome their hardships.
In his personal life, he and Marilyn enjoyed motorcycling around the state of Michigan together and enjoying nature (he especially enjoyed canoeing at his last home in Pleasant Lake, Michigan). Ken was a fervent collector of cars and motorcycles, and had a passion for motorsports of all kinds, from rallying to racing to anything in between. He dreamed of humankind exploring further into the universe and immensely enjoyed reading comic books and science fiction. He would have loved to have lived to see a colony on the moon or on Mars (and if he were here today he would likely argue which celestial body would be best suited for human colonization, and why!).
Ken is survived by the love of his life, Marilyn Sanborn; they were together for almost 30 years; his daughter, Shana Ruth Helton and son-in-law Donald McLean Helton; Marilyn’s son, Rick Sanborn and his wife Beth; Marilyn’s daughter, Brenda Sanborn; grandchildren: Rosa Helton and Sarah Helton (biological), and Keyera, Alex, Zach (via Marilyn); and his beloved four-legged daughter, Molly.
A graveside memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 11, 2021, at Evergreen Cemetery in Lansing. Arrangements are by the Estes-Leadley Greater Lansing Chapel.
25 Messages to “Kenneth Charles Browde”
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Ben Colman
June 22, 2021 at 4:12 pmI’m fortunate to have known Ken, shared meals, drinks, races, friends and hearty conversations with him. Happy Motoring, my friend!
Lester Burgher
June 22, 2021 at 4:32 pmI’ve enjoyed my time with my cousin. He will be missed.
Rick Frame
June 22, 2021 at 4:38 pmKen was always a breath of fresh air. He was positive, upbeat and loved talking about his cars, especially that green Corvette that he had completely re-done at Sundance Chevrolet. Ken loved talking about his beloved Marilyn who I never had the privilege of meeting. Kenny, you are missed more than you will ever know. We just spoke via text just two weeks ago about Dave Huntington and I coming to visit him at the lake . I’m so sorry we didn’t make that happen in time. Your spirit and smiling face will always be with me. Rest in piece my friend!
Doris Miklitz
June 22, 2021 at 4:50 pmMeeting Ken was serendipity. I enjoyed camping with him at the Very Boring Rally in Duluth, as well as touring Michigan with him on our motorcycles. Ride on, Ken!
Jean Strickler
June 22, 2021 at 4:55 pmKen took me on with Abacus after my retirement from MRS and we worked together finding jobs for his clients for almost a decade. He was always up to a challenge to think outside the box. May God bless you, Ken.
Scott B Silver
June 22, 2021 at 4:57 pmKen was a good friend and colleague. Always welcoming, friendly, with a strong opinion. He always made time for others. He will be genuinely missed.
Sharon (Pearlstein) Raffe
June 22, 2021 at 4:58 pmKen was a vital and integral part of my/our college years and after. We always looked forward to his visits to Illinois. He was beyond generous when he gave (maybe his first) dog, Tasha, to our family when his traveling made it to difficult to care for her. He clearly touched many lives. May his memory be a blessing….
Steve Burgher
June 22, 2021 at 5:54 pmKen is my first cousin who I’ve known all my life, but I’ve gotten to know him best over the last year. I will truly miss our regular and loving exchanges
Baruch Dayan Ha’Emet. May his memory be for a blessing.
Ava Burgher
June 22, 2021 at 6:04 pmKen will always be remembered as so loving and respectful to my in-laws He provided terrific company to my husband during these challenging times this past year.
Baruch Dayan Ha’Emet. May his memory be for a blessing.
David Huntington
June 22, 2021 at 10:07 pmKen and I got to know each other as friendly competitors in the same business field. Our paths crossed many times through work and training seminars. We would met through out the years at various restaurants for lunch. Our discussions were always interesting and engaging to say the least! Ken was instrumental in my entering the Vocational Expert field toward the end of our careers. He was very forthcoming with his time and mentoring in helping me over the six plus years with this very challenging part of my career. You will be missed Ken.
Carrie Hill
June 23, 2021 at 6:59 amI was always happy to see Ken come into the office. The best part about seeing Ken, though, was that you always felt like he was happy to see you. He was one of the most interesting people I have known. Rest in peace, my friend.
Paul Jones
June 23, 2021 at 8:30 amKen was a mensch. He was passionate. He was dedicated. He took great pride in his work. We shared many laughs in between SSA hearings, via emails and texts, and in person at a Lansing Car Show. He wanted to put more miles on that green corvette, but ran out of gas before flipping the odometer. He was a good son who never spoke of his dear deceased mother in Chicago without a tear coming to his eye and a catch in his throat. He was a devoted companion who loved and cared for Marilyn until the end. He was a talker who couldn’t talk in the last few years. That must have been frustrating, but he remained positive in all of our conversations. I will miss him. May your energy regenerate the universe.
Toni McFarland
June 23, 2021 at 10:27 amKen, you will be missed.
John G. Foster
June 23, 2021 at 12:49 pmKen was a friend, and colleague who I came to know and respect as we served together for many years on the professional boards of the state chapters of the Job Placement and Development Assoc., and the Michigan Rehabilitation Assoc. I enjoyed Ken’s sharing stories of his professional career and his other love of motorcycles and motor sports. Although he lived around Lansing and I live on the western side of the state, we became close friends. In recent years, I got to see Ken at the MI Rehab conferences in Traverse City and Grand Rapids, and we made sure to sit down for a beer and get caught up. Ken, I am saddened to learn of you passing, and you will be missed. RIP, my friend.
Scott Bannor
June 23, 2021 at 3:38 pmKen and I have been friends since we met in college in 1968. I have to say that at first I was put off by his over-the-top approach to just about everything. But as we got to know each other I came to appreciate this about him – he was truly a unique individual.
I met his parents years ago and have his mom’s recipe for what in my estimation, are the best pancakes in the world. My kids grew up looking forward to “Mrs. Browde’s pancakes on weekends.
Once on a “Boyz weekend” in Pentwater, Ken told me how much he wanted to get into fishing. A few months later I was in Michigan on business and went to dinner with Ken and Marilyn. I took the opportunity to give Ken an old rod & reel to get him started. I should have known where it would go.
I loved Ken for his “eccentricities”. It’s hard for me to conceive of a world without him.
Robert Chavez
June 23, 2021 at 7:38 pmKen was one of the first vocational experts I worked with. He was smart, knowledgeable, boisterous, a bit cantankerous, opinionated, with an outsized personality that always made me feel welcome. It was always a joy to work with him; he knew his stuff well, and he knew it cold. I’ll miss having not-at-all political discussions with him on the issues of the day; when he was assigned to work with me, I knew that the day would never be boring. He will be missed, and may his memory be a blessing.
Michael Tindall
June 24, 2021 at 2:05 pmHe was my brother from a different mother, friend, rally partner and all around crazy guy.
He loved all things motorsports and the first time that I met him was when he came to my apartment to convince me to quit my job and ride with him, and my friend Big Al, on something called “One Lap of America 1984”. He convinced me to do so after mentioning “Drunken Duncan Hamilton” and the 1953 Le Mans race. I did what he wanted, for the first of many times, as he was persuasive and relentless. We disagreed on many things, mostly politics, but we were always good friends and I already miss him so much. My other good friend, Bob Carr, gave him a great compliment as he stated that every time he talked to him the conversation was both lively and information.
RIP to TRW (The Road Warrior) my friend forever, Ken. Goodbye: buffalo2stbreath
Terry D. Wittert
June 25, 2021 at 10:26 pmI met Ken early in my second year at NIU. He was , and remained to the very end, a beautiful and energetic man who was just a “bissell mushugana”. OK, call him eccentric.
Passionate, driven, confident, compassionate, fun loving and full of life. Always pushing to the edge of the envelope. That said, he was dedicated to Marilyn, his work clients, and always there for his friends.
He will be sorely missed.
Bruce Edenson
July 6, 2021 at 1:59 pmKen and I became close friends in 1970, while we were both students at Northern Illinois University. We maintained our “brotherhood” since college, despite geographical distances and other circumstances.
I always admired and treasured Ken’s remarkable wisdom, intellect, honor, strength, courage, compassion, energy, articulacy, uniqueness, and so many other fine attributes.
I’ll forever dearly miss my “BIA.”
Michael Davis
July 6, 2021 at 6:54 pmMy brother,
I love you and will miss you forever!
Vicki Leonard
July 9, 2021 at 10:36 amMy loving cousin Ken, I miss you terribly already. I look forward to our weekly exchanges. I have been so blessed to have you in my life to bounce ideas discuss the world to agree to disagree. The love I have for you is unmeasurable. God must really want you. It’s so hard to say good-bye. Xo
Julia Tindall
July 9, 2021 at 7:04 pmI am thinking of you a lot this last few weeks. I missed having you in town and was so sorry we didn’t get to see you and Marilyn more. I would have wished some time for you and Mike before you left us, some time to say good bye, I love you. He loved you so much and respected you more than you will ever know. The stories you both told about your adventures were such a pleasure. I remember watching your faces as the two of you reminisced. There was such joy in the company and the adventures, then telling the stories again, and laughing all over again.
You were always kind and funny to me. You shared recipes that Mike liked when you lived together, he always said you were a great cook….. And I love you so for loving My beautiful Michael. He deserves love and people that believe in him. There will never be another you on this amazing Earth. Your energy and joy, the occasional fatigue and sorrow that I would see flash across your face. Your joy and love for Marilyn and your tender and honest care in her illness. You faced things head on with your words and thoughts at lightening speed. Your decisions and resolve, firm in your belief in yourself. I always wanted to spend more time with you to know you better as my friend but it was never to be, but your love for Mike was enough to know you.
I hope you took all the love and the pleasures with you and none of the Earth-bound pains and fears. You knew real joys, and pleasures, I can hear you laughing if I really listen to my memories. I can feel your energy and enthusiasm for your homes so near to nature, your hobbies and your life’s work. I hope you found the sublime peace your soul deserves, that sometimes our time in this world does not allow. I hope you feel the love that follows you. Love Julia
Amy Shelton
July 10, 2021 at 9:45 pmI miss you Yoda! Thank you for all you patience, wisdom, honesty, and most of all your humor!! I so enjoyed our chats!! Thanks for being my mentor, my friend, and the best confidant I’ve ever known. Thanks for insisting I come meet with you and Marilyn about joining Abacus!! You both changed my life and we had an interesting ride along the way!! Yoda, I will always have your force with me.
Mark Richards
July 11, 2021 at 10:34 amYou will be missed Ken! I echo what Toni, David, Scott and Amy, our fellow vic rehab colleagues, opined regarding you taking the time to mentor and support us all!
You were there when my voc rehab career was waning. Thank you for helping to save my career!
Our prayers are with your loved ones during this time of loss.
Thank you again Ken!
Mark Richards
james hunter
July 31, 2021 at 5:52 pmOh, my brother, I miss you. Flagging turn 1Bravo at COTA for the MotoGP became an annual event. I miss that. I miss having someone to cal Monday to talk about last weekend’s race. I miss having a kindred soul. Rest in peace, brother. You were loved.