Kenneth Saunstaire

Kenneth Wayne Saunstaire peacefully went home to be with the Lord on Friday, May 3, 2019. He was born on January 25, 1950 in Kansas City Missouri to David & Betty Conroy Saunstaire and was the oldest of 6 kids, including Dale, Mike, Doyle, Leon and Myra. In his younger years, Ken was called “Sonny”, but later began using his birth name, after he had a “come to Jesus meeting” and became a Christian, as well as a certified Pastor. Ken was living in Wichita Kansas when he married Pat Saunstaire in1978, and they divorced in 1986. They had two children, Amie and Jacob. He later married Katherine Lester in Commerce, Oklahoma, and they were married until Katherine passed away in 2006.



Ken lived in Mena Arkansas, Commerce Oklahoma and a few other places throughout his lifetime. While in Commerce, he was very involved in the Commerce Assembly of God church as well as Royal Rangers. His mission in life was to help the homeless, as well as try to get people to give their hearts to the Lord. He was also a volunteer firefighter in Mena Arkansas, and served as a pastor there too. It was while he was living in Commerce that he felt like God was telling him he needed to move back to Wichita, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to, but he did it anyway. That was in 2011, and after moving to Wichita he ended up visiting many churches for a year before he decided to visit Grace United Methodist Church, where he had worked as a janitor for a few years back in the 80’s. It was there that he became acquainted with Nancy Smith, who he considered his best friend, although she would tell everyone she was his “Boss”, since she was the one taking care of him and his finances up to the end! Ken had ended up living on the streets when he was young, and never got much of an education, but his children were very proud that he had the skills to do a lot of things, like carpentry work, TV repair. And, he loved everyone without judgment, and always treated people with love.



Services for Ken are pending. Survivors include his friend Nancy Smith, daughter Amie Saunstaire, son Jacob Saunstaire, brothers Dale Saunstaire, Doyle (Gloria) Saunstaire, Leon Saunstaire and sister Myra (Steve) Martin, granddaughters Anna McDonald, Lily Saunstaire and Vaida McDonald and numerous nieces and nephews and some other extended family members. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Katherine and brother Mike Saunstaire.



A “GoFundMe” page to help raise funds to pay for Ken’s funeral expenses and some other expenses that he has, since his income was very limited and he didn’t get life insurance until recently. You can use this link to get to his “GoFundMe” page: https://www.gofundme.com/pastor-ken