NORWICH, VT — Ken Epworth, known to many as “Barnman”, passed away on January 14th, 2019 in Norwich.
He was Born in New York City in 1946. His father Ned, a many talented designer, created iconic designs for Oil of Olay and Chanel. Vivian Epworth (Decker) and Ned lived in Greenwich village when Ken was born and later moved across the Hudson to Pearl River, New York where Ken attended school.
At 18 he joined the Navy and studied meteorology. He was stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and deployed aboard the ship that retrieved the early space capsules and astronauts that landed at sea.
Ken moved to Providence RI, where he worked as a designer/carpenter. Ken started doing historic renovations and was an early adopter of building with recycled materials. He attended architecture classes at the Rhode island School of Design. In 1974, Ken moved to Vermont to work with Peter Reitzes salvaging the then popular barn siding boards. Ken was taken with the beauty of the barn structures and their historic importance. He found his calling.
Along with David Hill, Ken founded the Barn People whose mission it was to dismantle, repair and reassemble historic barns. Ken was responsible for the preservation of hundreds of barns during his long career. He was acknowledged as one of a handful of experts in the field. Barns found new life as homes, public buildings and commercial properties from Vermont to California. He had an eye for beauty, he saw it in everything and created it with every barn he restored Ken was an avid reader, collector, gardener and lover of birds.
He was known by all for his irreverent humor and positive attitude. He lived life on his own terms and loved every second of what he did. He was happy to go to work everyday and didn’t consider any of it a job, but a passion that he couldn’t ignore no matter where he was.
He is survived by his children, Lisa, Annie, Aaron and Hannah. His grandchildren Anthony, Joey, Daniel, Anthony and Gavin,as well as great granddaughter Ellie. His loss is mourned by his sister Susie Dewland, his former wives Ellen Sperry, Ellen Cooper, and his beloved partner Mary Young, who brought happiness to their days together, and whose love and compassionate care were a blessing to Ken and his family.