Kenneth Ray Orwig, Jr.

Kenneth Ray Orwig, Jr. entered the Kingdom of Heaven at 3:15 a.m. on Saturday, September 24, 2016. He was surrounded by family. A lifelong resident of Ottawa Hills, Ken was born on July 31, 1948, and was a member of the Ottawa Hills High School Class of 1966. Ken attended The Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, and graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1970. After his time in Atlanta, Ken served his country as a Warrant Officer in the Ohio Army National Guard’s Signal Corps from 1971 through 1978. Along the way, Ken met the love of his life, Julia Brooks LaRue. They began their adventure together as husband and wife on August 11, 1973, and were happily married for 35 years until Julia’s passing in 2008. Ken and Julia were partners in every sense of the word. After taking over his father’s advertising firm, Ken and Julia formed Orwig Communications, a full-service marketing, public relations, and graphic design firm that they ran out of their One Seagate offices in downtown Toledo. The pair eventually moved the business home, and rebranded as Orwig Marketing Strategies. Together, they served local non-profits, businesses and government agencies. Ken was a big believer in giving back to his community. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Toledo, served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the United Way of Greater Toledo, and served on the marketing committee of the Toledo Chapter of the American Red Cross. Over the course of his life, Ken was fascinated by a number of wide-ranging interests, from scuba diving to photography; aviation to world politics; history to science-fiction. More than anything, Ken cherished family, and was especially proud of his two sons and grandchildren. Ken was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth R. Orwig, Sr. and Emmajean Orwig, and beloved wife Julia Brooks LaRue Orwig. He is survived by his sons Kenneth R. Orwig, III of Columbus, OH, Philip LaRue Orwig (Sarah) of Dallas, TX, and two beloved grandchildren, Nat Cameron Orwig and Kenneth R. Orwig, IV. Calling hours will be Thursday, September 29th from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Walker Funeral Home, 5155 West Sylvania Avenue. A service will be held Friday, September 30th at 10:00 a.m. at Saint Michael’s in the Hills Episcopal Church, 4718 Brittany Road. Following the service, Ken will be placed to rest in the Saint Michael’s Memorial Garden.