Kenneth R Adams

Ken Adams, lover of life, died peacefully on August 23rd, after a valiant struggle with cancer at his home in Madison, WI, which he loved so dear. He shared this home for 32 years with the love of his life, wife Pam and their dog Hugo. Being home was important to him since this home is forever enriched by his warmth and graced with his custom-designed additions. You see, Ken was a builder, as well as a lover.

 Ken was also a lover of music. He was a professional musician and was multi-faceted with writing talents, a guitarist, accordionist, singer and entertainer. His love of music encircled all genres, and he was very much a musicophile. Wherever Ken went, region or country, he would always collect local music. You could walk into Kens’ home on about any day and hear music playing you’ve never heard before.

 His talents encompassed many different roles in his life. As a young boy he worked alongside his mother in a small butcher shop in his native Chicago, and learned the carpentry trade from his father. He loved outdoor activities, spending time with dogs, and cooking you a gourmet meal. He was a photographer, a wood worker, a sailor, an actor on stage as well as voice over work, a singer, a ballroom dancer, a camper and hiker, a darn good cook, and of course a design builder. Ken and Pam owned and operated Adams Design Construction, a small residential remodeling company in Dane County, WI, for 42 years. You can see Ken’s eye for design and creativity in many homes throughout Madison and Dane County. Ken was always happy with a well-laid out construction site, good food, good drinks, and connecting with family, friends and people everywhere, and with a sense of humor unsurpassed by anyone.

 Ken loved adventures of all kinds. As a skilled sailor, he loved traveling and learning new languages. He loved being on the water and has sailed many different seas from the Chesapeake Bay to the gulf waters and Key West, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, inland on Lake Michigan, and the Mediterranean. He taught sailing with the Univ. of WI Hoofers and owned “Little Darling”, a 42ft Jeanneau Sun Odyssey which of course was customized with his carpentry skills. He was a member of the US Power Squadron. After studying and learning Chinese Mandarin, he traveled extensively through China. He traveled all over the U.S. and the world with Pam. Ken also had a love for theater and performed in many plays locally and in improvisational theater. He was a partner in R. Bean Voice Theater which produced radio plays nationally.

 These descriptions barely scratch the surface of what engaged this wondrously multi-faceted man, who was also known for his profound generosity. He was endlessly giving with his time, food, love, and anything else he could think of.

 Ken was born August 14, 1954, in Chicago, and as a young adult moved to Madison WI and proudly stayed alive and kicking for 70 years of age!

Ken was preceded in death by his father, Robert Adamczewski, and brother Michael Adamczewski. He is survived by the love of his life and partner in all his life’s adventures, wife Pam; his mother Kathleen Cernick; sisters Vicki Miller and partner Joe Matosik, Denise Adams, Colleen and Bill Ritter; son, Dr. Brian Ritcher; daughter-in-law, Kira Ritcher; grandchildren, Miranda, Alex, and Grace Ritcher; great-grandchildren, Carson and Charlotte; sister-in-law Lisa Price-Roberts; brother-in-law Robert Kelly; and many nieces and nephews, as well as great nieces and great nephews.

 Ken’s sense of humor was legendary and irrepressible. He was literally telling jokes until the day he died. Ken is remembered, loved, and will be profoundly missed by far too many people to mention.

 In lieu of services, the family requests donations in Ken’s name to the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center or the Dane County Humane Society.