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Arthur 'Bud' Ketcham Toledo, OH QCWA # 16319 |
KETCHAM Arthur "Bud" age 91, of Toledo, passed away on Wednesday, October 26, 2011, at Hospice of Northwest Ohio. He was born on September 23, 1920 in Chicago, IL to Arthur and Marie (Bennett) Ketcham, Sr. and moved to Toledo at 4 years of age.
He graduated from Waite High School and studied Radio and was FCC licensed.
During the war, Bud worked for Toledo Edison, taught radio classes and married his sweetheart, Ruth Haefner, celebrating their 65th Anniversary last January. After the war, he worked for WSPD and with the advent of TV he helped usher in WSPD Channel 13 and its sister station in Detroit. Then in 1954 he joined NBC as a staff engineer working in Hollywood during the "live" evening programs and the birth of color TV. Later he returned to Toledo and worked for OI at its technical center for 14 years during which he studied Acoustics at MIT and U of Wisconsin.
He finished his career as a Transmitter Engineer for Channel 24 Toledo and retired in 1982. He was a senior member of IEEE, the American Physics Society and the American Acoustical Society and has held an amateur radio license W8UEL for over 70 years.
As a member of the Genealogical Society of Lucas County he was authenticated as a direct descendant of the earliest 4 families of Toledo of which the Valentine Theater was named after his great uncle, Valentine Ketcham. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Ketcham; his three children, Linda (John) Reitzel, John Ketcham and Tom (Patti) Ketcham; grandchildren, David Reitzel, Becky (Chris) Watling, Melissa (Matt) Kish and Jeffrey (Victoria) Ketcham and great-grandchildren, Wyatt Watling, Greely Watling and Jayden Kish. Also surviving is step - granddaughter, Lindsay Roginski.
Friends may call Friday, October 28, 2011 from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the Urbanski Funeral Home 5055 Sceor Road, (Just North of Laskey) (419) 475-5055 where a scripture service will be held at 7:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held Saturday at 10:00 a.m. in the funeral home with Fr. Bill Rose officiating.
Interment will follow at the Historic Woodlawn Cemetery. The family would like to thank the staff of Hospice of Northwest Ohio, in Toledo, for their great care and compassion and they prefer that memorial contributions be made to Hospice of Northwest Ohio.