Ken passed away at Frick Hospital on Wednesday, 7 April 2010, at 6:30PM as a the result of a brain hemorrhage.

A memorial service was held for Ken at the Calvary Assembly of God Church in Connellsville, PA at 11 AM on Saturday, May 1st. There was no viewing or funeral because Ken donated his body to science.

I'm sure that many of the folks who visit this web site knew of Ken. There is no doubt in my mind that his research opened doors and knocked down walls for many his fellow researchers, me included.

I didn't know Ken personally, but I knew of him. He was a long time O'Neal researcher. The fruits of his labor can be found at various genealogly sites on the web.

I received the following email from John O'Neal of the The O'Neal Genealogy Association:

Cuz'n Kenneth O'Neal was a co-founder of The O'Neal Genealogy Association along with Bev Crowe and I way back in 1997. His skill as a researcher and his ability and willingness to hunt down and find and record long lost cemeteries and land plats in the woods of Pennsylvania made him a valuable member of our team. He will be sorely missed. Most of his work resides today in the Bedford County Historical society in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. His Rootsweb tree can be found at: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=ken_227&id=I00038

I'd like to join John O'Neal and those who knew or knew of Ken in offering our condolences to the family. We are truly sorry for your loss. Ken may be gone, but he certainly is not forgotten by his many friends.

I would like to thank Charles O'Neal, Ken's son, for bringing Ken's passing to our attention.

I would welcome any history, stories, or pictures of Ken that I could add in his memory. You can contact me at ron@ronsattic.com.

Ron O'Neal

from Susan Eicher

I meet Ken online but he was a true friend and relative right from the start. We are part of the Eicher line. In 2007 he organized a family reunion, while it was small in attendance, it was wonderful for my family in Virginia. He rented a hall for us, where we had a picnic and than he took us on a tour and showed us all the grave sites and the Eicher Memorial stone that was dedicated in the 50's honoring the first Eicher in America. He took us to the homeplace where my grandfather was born. In Ken's honor, one cousin to another, thanks Susan Eicher

from Iva Kressler

I am so sorry to hear about Ken. I have been emailing him since August and my emails kept coming back. I just found the Memorial for him and I am so sorry he passed. The information he has on the web is fantastic. I have been looking at the Eicher web site the last month or so. Since I found out Leah Sipe was married to Andrew Eicher. I had so many questions. I have printed a lot of the information off so I can sit and read it easier. Again I am so sorry for everyone"s loss.