With sorrow but also gratitude the family of Kenneth Lee Current announces his gentle and merciful passing to eternal life on February 10, 2020.
Kenny Lee was born in Los Angeles on August 16, 1957 to Neal F. Current and Frances J. (Thornton) Current, the fourth of five children. When Kenny was two, his dad was transferred to Santa Barbara Research Center so the family relocated to Goleta. Goleta was largely rural with a two-lane highway passing through and this is where Kenny and his brothers and sister grew up, riding bikes, swimming at UCSB, fishing, racing up and down creeks and building tree forts.
Kenny attended St. Raphael’s School and received his sacraments in that parish. He was a straight A student without any effort, a truly brilliant mind. He was graduated from San Marcos High School in 1975 and entered UCSB as a freshman on a ROTC scholarship. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and promptly entered the Army to serve his four years of active duty. He was stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. After his honorable discharge, he made his home in Goleta. Sadly thereafter, Ken was diagnosed with Schizophrenia which upended the life he and the family anticipated. For the final fifteen years of his life he resided with his sister and her husband where he was cared for and loved. In September 2019 Ken received some serious medical diagnoses and began treatment. The family believes that God was merciful to him and did not allow him to linger in pain but took his soul gently into His care.
Because of his mental illness, Ken never married or had any children. He is survived by his parents, Neal and Frances Current, his sister and brother-in-law, Dorothy and Tom Turner, his brother Neal Current, Jr., his brother and sister-in-law, John and Nancy Current, his brother and sister-in-law, Thomas Current and Bea Kollinzas and many nieces and nephews. The Funeral Mass will be at St. Raphael’s Catholic Church on Tuesday, February 25, 2020 at 10:00 AM. If you wish to honor Ken, the family suggests you donate to the Mental Wellness Center (www.mentalwellnesscenter.org) or the Wounded Warrior Project. Even in his illness, Ken was deeply patriotic and his life was greatly influenced by his military service.
