Kenneth Edward Pauley

Kenneth Edward Pauley, age 89, passed away on February 5th, 2O26 at the Emerson Hospital in Concord, Massachusetts. He was born on June 15, 1936 in Boston. Ken was the fourth and last child of Charles F. Pauley, a Locksmith, and Mary E. Mozdziez, a refugee from Poland.

Ken is survived by his wife, Lucy Kirshner of Acton, MA, and his 2 children, Mark Pauley of Hudson, MA, and Heidi Meadows of Green Mt, North Carolina. Kenneth had 3 grandchildren.

As a young boy, Ken’s parents were the center of his life. Both his father and mother instilled the values of hard work and doing jobs well. His parents also recognized that each of their boys had different interests and that they could help them. They saw from the start that Ken liked to be outdoors. With that start, for the rest of his life, Ken always finished what he started and worked hard on them. Ken was full of interests, but his greatest passion, the one that captured his interest most, was his love for exploring animals in the natural world. This became a defining characteristic of his being. In those years, he learned, had fun, and got into mischief. Ken’s father helped him make homes for turtles and raccoons, and even for a bear. Often, Ken put a jumping spider in his shirt to play with it when the teacher wasn’t looking.

Ken found the Museum of Science in Boston when he was a teenager, and he was never far from it. He and a friend were given keys to get into the Museum early to feed the animals before visitors were let in. They also found snakes for the Museum to show. Along with the Museum, Ken loved summer camps. He started as a child himself and eventually led camps, some for children and once for a camp for blind adults. All this time, Ken was watching, learning, and teaching himself. There were so many things for him to learn, including fishing, hunting, and boating, and he took time for all of those.

During his first marriage, when he had children, there were responsibilities, and Ken tried selling cars. He found those workdays long and hard, and while he did earn money and he enjoyed some friends, the hot clothes and grind of it all were not fun for him. Fun was important for Ken. He left that job going back to the Museum. It wasn’t as lucrative but he was much happier.

When Ken came back to the Museum of Science, he stayed for 43 years. He taught live animal presentations and gave courses for children and their parents. Ken became intimate with the Museum’s legends like Spooky the Owl, and he was also eager to introduce visitors to the Theatre of Electrical Science. Brad Washburn had been the head of the museum, and he wanted to make visitors understand what science is about. Ken understood this. He had been observing, asking questions, thinking, and encouraging his own ideas. The Museum allowed Ken to be a teacher and a perpetual student himself.

One of the best things about Ken as a teacher was that he had fun. He brought a cow into the Museum one day and allowed young children to try to get milk from her. Science in school can be full of intimidating vocabulary, but Ken talked in everyday words and even with funny ideas. His curiosity and even his sense of humor kept visitors listening.

Ken’s Boston roots were as strong as his Boston accent, but East Africa got into his blood and held a firm grip on his heart. The idea of Africa had fascinated him since he was a little boy and when he finally went there, the reality was even more fascinating. Through the Museum, Ken led many groups on trips to Tanzania, sharing his observations and excitement while making life-long friends.

Ken Pauley retired, but he never really grew up. There was still more time for him to learn. His first two wives must have had the strength to live through his vibrant, fun, but sometimes uncomfortable ideas. His third wife, Lucy Kirshner, who worked at the Museum and shared Ken’s ideas, moved to a pond where Ken designed their final house. It looked out to the woods and water. With chipmunks and bobcats, among hundreds of animals, trees that needed work, and a few more visits to Africa, it was great, but never enough time.

Services will be private

Arrangements under the care of Concord Funeral Home, 74 Belknap Street, Concord, MA 01742  978-369-3388 www.concordfuneral.com