Kenneth (Ken) Paul Justis, born in Contra Cost, CA on May 30, 1948, and affectionately dubbed "Kenny Paul" by his mom and aunt, passed away at home on Saturday, March 8, 2025. Ken was preceded in death by his mother, Georgie Schultz Justis, of Visalia, CA; his father-in-law, Charles F. Ross and his mother-in-law, Doris Millard Ross, of Bentonville, AR; and his brother-in-law Lawrence F. Ross of Lake Geneva, WI. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Barbara Ross Justis, his daughters Kendra Reader and Kelly Weidemann, his son-in-law Joseph Weidemann, and his grandson, Elijah Reader, all of Bentonville, AR; his granddaughter, Eliana Reader of Bella Vista, AR; his sister and brother-in-law, Becky and Billy Menn of Killeen, TX; his sister Mariam Glidden, of California; his sister and sister-in-law Connie Justis and Rose Alcaraz of Lakewood, OH; and his brother and sister-in-law, Alvin and Wesla Justis, of Visalia, CA; as well as nieces and nephews, and grand-nieces and grand-nephews, around the country.

How do you summarize someone's life in a few paragraphs? How is that possible for someone you've loved for most, or all, of your life; someone who seemed larger-than-life for so many decades to so many people? I'm really not sure, but let's give it a shot…

Ken had a few careers in his life: long-haul truck driver, truck driver trainer, welder. His last career was working with individuals with developmental disabilities at Arkansas Support Network. He loved the difference he could make in helping people through finding good employment matches. Helping people find their potential and believing in others were a passion of Ken's. But he also believed in balance and had many other personal passions.

Everyone who was lucky enough to know Ken knows he enjoyed playing both sports (football, baseball, softball) and "sports" (bowling, fishing, billiards). He enjoyed teaching his siblings, daughters, and grandchildren how to play sports throughout his life. He got both of his girls into both fishing and bowling, even coaching their bowling teams and Kelly's softball team for many years - and pulling them into myriad other activities and shenanigans anytime he was able. For instance, on family hikes, he would get his girls to climb up rock faces and "surprise" Barb when she walked past, nearly giving her a heart attack by dangling them over her head. When he was teaching Kendra to fish as a toddler, she was learning to cast, but decided that meant throwing the entire fishing pole into the water. Ken had to jump in the water to retrieve the pole. Well Kendra found that highly entertaining, so she did it again, and again, and again - each time giggling as Ken jumped in the water to retrieve her pole. I'm not sure who was the person who actually learned a lesson that day, but it seems like Ken learned a new way to fish.

Ken always deemed himself a dog person, and he loved to train and play with his dogs - often intensely with little, to no, concern for his own wellbeing if his dog was having fun. He would drive Barb crazy showing up with more scratches and holes in his clothes, but she knew he was enjoying the games as much as the dogs did. Now he also (not so secretly) loved cats, he was the old-school, pre-social media, "Dad and the cats they didn't want". He would claim to simply tolerate them since Barb and his daughters all love cats, but we know the truth.

Speaking of how fiercely he loved, everyone who was in his circle knew he loved them deeply. He had a wicked, dry sense of humor that he would use all the time - often earning him an exasperated "Kenneth!" from Barb. He also enjoyed trying to trick his girls - a good way to help them learn to judge character and intentions. On his return from a long-haul trip, he told the girls to come see him; he told Kendra he bought a scratcher in CO and won so she got $5, but then he told Kelly he bought another in MO and lost so she owed him $2. Her immediate response was "come on Dad, where's my five?". He trained them well. He liked to needle people, especially Barb as often as he could. They loved each other fiercely, choosing one another over and over through the years.

Cremation arrangements were entrusted to Memorial Funeral Home