Ken Thomas, part of the De Anza Appliance family, passed Tuesday, July 16th 2024. He’s survived by his daughter, Kendra, son Keyshawn, numerous relatives, and past and current colleagues at De Anza Appliance.
Ken served with the United States Marine Corps. Whenever Veteran’s Day rolled around he always sought out spots honoring veterans before work, during lunch and on his way home. The De Anza Appliance Team thanks you for your service. Similarly, our founder Bill Boucher served as a radioman in the Navy and appreciates you and all those who selflessly serve to defend the freedoms of others.
Prior to employment with De Anza Appliance, Ken worked with General Electric Factory Service. After, Ken became a self-employed appliance repair technician. Next, Ken began his career at De Anza Appliance in July of 2015. Recently he hit his 9th year anniversary this year. Ken wore his GE cap and jacket regularly around the office, looking sharp and always dressed to impress. Ken kept remarkable time, We joked we could reliably set our watches to 7:57am when we hit the office in the morning.
When Ken started he quickly bonded with teammates finding fellow San Francisco 49ers fans. With his passion for the Red & Gold he often led water cooler talk with the staff about the Niners prospects and playoff chances. Additionally he traded music and shared his passions with the friends he made on the job. We’ll miss the energy and his laugh in the mornings. Ken charmed every customer he worked with, turning frustrated clients with broken appliances into warm friends. He had a way of bringing a smile to everyone’s face he interacted with.
When several team members’ immediate family took ill. Ken always inquired about their health. Cindy Boucher, former Office Manager and Executive Secretary retired early with an aging illness, Ken asked about her weekly. He checked in with our Service Manager about his partner. When our dispatcher’s daughter went through major surgeries he always wanted to know how she was doing. We’ll miss Ken yelling out to the Boucher family “How’s boss lady doing?’
Ken scratched lotto in the mornings. If he hit it big we expected to see his retirement papers, if he hit it medium we teased he needed to buy the team lunch. In packing up his van and personal effects we found a few unscratched tickets. Passing them to his daughter we hope he left a little luck behind.
Ken was proud of his family, particularly the success his children found progressing through their education and careers. De Anza Appliance sends their deepest condolences to them, his extended family, and friends. We lost not just a team member but a member of the family.
Chris Boucher, VP of Marketing & Operations