Kenneth Allen Yowan

1942 - 2026

Kenneth Allen Yowan, 84, of Port Orange, Florida, passed away on August 10, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family.

A native of western Pennsylvania, Ken lived a remarkable life defined by intellect, service, responsibility, and a genuine interest in the people and communities around him. He was a physicist, a public servant and mayor, a devoted husband, father and grandfather, and, in retirement, a familiar face to countless customers and coworkers during his 17 years with Publix.

Friendly by nature but always a little formal, Ken carried himself with a quiet sense of professionalism throughout his life. Whether he was working alongside scientists, meeting government leaders, serving the residents of Westminster, or simply talking with someone he met during an ordinary day, he treated people with courtesy and respect.

In 1963 Ken married his beloved wife, Joyce (Joy). Together they had two sons, Kenneth John and Mark. Ken graduated from the University of Maryland in 1974 and went on to do graduate work in technical management at Johns Hopkins University. A physicist by profession, he devoted four decades to the nation's defense, beginning at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in 1962 and joining the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in 1966, where he worked until his retirement. A specialist in inertial navigation and shipboard weapon systems, he spent his career on the Navy's strategic programs; Polaris, Poseidon and Trident, and his work earned repeated recognition, including U.S. Navy Fleet Ballistic Missile Program Certificates of Merit and a Meritorious Team Achievement Award.

From 1986 to 1989, that work took him and Joy to Hawaii, where he served as the Laboratory's technical representative on the staff of the Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, at Pearl Harbor. For that service, the Navy commended him for outstanding performance of duty, citing contributions to the fleet's readiness that “reflected great credit upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.” His expertise later drew him into public service at the state level as well: he was appointed to Maryland's Transit Advisory Panel, which produced the state's first Comprehensive Transit Plan, and to Governor Parris Glendening's High Speed Network Development Task Force.

Ken's commitment to public service ran just as deep in his own community. He and Joy moved to Westminster, Maryland, in 1975 to raise their family, and he fell in love with the town immediately, later describing what he loved about it as a “perfect blend of progressiveness and tradition.” He first ran for City Council in 1979, losing by only about forty votes, and served as Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals before being elected to the Council in 1983. When his APL work called him to Hawaii, he stepped down, then returned home and picked up public life again, chairing a task force on downtown revitalization. He was elected Council President in 1993 and became Mayor of Westminster in 1994, winning a full four-year term in 1997 and serving until 2001, some two decades of public service in all.

He approached elected office much as he approached everything else: thoughtfully, seriously, and with an emphasis on practical solutions. Colleagues credited him with restoring civility and collegiality to City Hall, transforming a once-contentious relationship between mayor and council into a harmonious one. He believed governing required listening, cooperation and compromise, and that political affiliation was always secondary to getting the job done. As mayor, he guided the city's growth and its downtown revival, including the transformation of the old Carroll Theater into a center for the arts, and championed a major upgrade to Westminster's wastewater treatment system, work that protected the Little Pipe Creek watershed and, ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay. Characteristically, he refused to take the credit. “There's been much accomplished,” he said as he left office. “I know it's not because of me. It's because of everyone working together.”

Ken's civic pride occasionally put him in remarkable company. In December 1985, as a Westminster councilman, he was part of a city delegation that traveled to the White House to present a giant Christmas card from Westminster to President and Mrs. Reagan on the South Lawn, a gesture of hometown boosterism that was pure Ken. Among those beside him that day was Westminster Police Chief Sam Leppo, a dear friend whose death years later Ken never stopped feeling.

After retiring from his scientific career and settling in Florida with Joy, Ken went to work for Publix, and stayed for 17 years. The job gave him what retirement alone could not: a continued connection to people. Customers and coworkers came to know the same friendly, courteous and dependable man his family had always known. Retirement also gave Ken and Joy time for something they loved doing together: golf. Many happy hours were spent side by side on Florida courses, a chance to be outdoors, enjoy each other's company, compete a little and laugh a lot.

For all that Ken accomplished, those closest to him will remember something more personal than the positions he held or the work he did. They will remember his intelligence and curiosity, his friendliness, his manners, his sense of responsibility, his conversations and stories, and his belief that when something needs to be done, it should be done well.

Most of all, they will remember him as a husband, father and grandfather.

Ken is survived by his beloved wife, Joy; his sons, Kenneth John (and his wife, Patty), Mark (and his wife, Maire) and; his five grandchildren, Cindy, John, Micheal, Taylor, Nicholas and his sister Linda (and her husband Paul).

From scientific and national-defense work at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, to Pearl Harbor, to City Hall, to 17 years behind the familiar green Publix apron, Ken moved through worlds few people experience, and remained, through every chapter, unmistakably himself: intelligent, courteous, hardworking, and devoted to the people around him. His accomplishments were many, but his family will remember his greatest legacy far more simply: in the life he built with Joy, the family he loved, the communities he served, and the countless people whose lives crossed his along the way.

In accordance with Ken’s wishes, no formal services will be held.