Kenneth W. Daly, 82, recently of Braintree, MA, passed away peacefully on April 1, 2026, after a brief illness.

Known by Ken to family and friends, he was the eldest of seven children, born in Dayton, Ohio when his father was serving in the Army as a Judge Advocate General (JAG Attorney) at Wright Patterson Airfield. The family eventually returned and settled in the Black Rock area of Bridgeport, CT. His father, James J. A. Daly, was born in Bridgeport and was the proud son of an Irish immigrant. His father attended Yale undergrad and Yale Law School. His mother, Sara “Sally” Hamlin (Witterwell) was born in New York City. Ken was the big brother his siblings looked up to.

He is predeceased by his parents, his wife, Laura Madelaine Rivkin, of Griggstown, NJ, formerly of the Detroit, Michigan area; his brother, James Daly of East Windsor, CT; and his two sisters, Deborah Daly of East Greenwich, RI and Mary Teresa Daly Balch of West Chester, PA.

Ken is survived by his four children, Joseph M. Daly (Pipe Creek, TX), Justine M. Daly (San Antonio, TX), Roisin Gael Baughman (Todd)(Bedford, TX), and their mother Dr. Mary B. Daly (San Antonio, TX), youngest daughter Anne Mei Daly (Braintree, MA) and grandson Cameron Daly Alsip (Braintree, MA), granddaughter Ashlea Brown (Eric) (San Antonio, TX) and great-grandchildren Jace Brown and Gianna Brown (San Antonio, TX). He is also survived by his siblings Dr. Patrick Daly (Joyce) of Providence, RI, Kathleen Daly Rietberg (Bruce) of Suffield, CT, and Sara Daly Ryan (Jay) of Frederick, MD and many loving nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Ken graduated from Providence College with a bachelor’s degree in 1965. He married Mary Kimmerlin shortly after college graduation and the two of them were inspired to begin their life together as teachers in Kenya. They set sail on a cargo ship from Brooklyn Harbor and 41 days later landed at Mombasa, Kenya. Their final destination was the Catholic Mission in the small mountain village of Nkubu. There Ken taught English and Mary taught biology and science. Their first born child, son Joseph Mubundi was born there, followed their daughter Justine Muthoni. At the end of their three-year contract, and several bouts of malaria. they returned to Connecticut where Roisin Gael was born.

Always seeking intellectual and academic stimulation, Ken and Mary moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to pursue graduate studies at the University. Ken earned his master’s and his Ph. D. degrees in Economic Development and Urban Planning. When Mary graduated with her Ph.D. and M.D., they moved to San Antonio. Texas, for her to begin her residency and Ken to work for the City of San Antonio. There he rose to be the Director of the Department for Economic and Employment Development for the City of San Antonio under then Mayor, Henry Cisneros, and also taught at the prestigious Trinity University in the Urban Planning Department. He was instrumental in bringing the Alamo Dome and Seaworld to the Alamo City, as well as many other vital infrastructure projects.

In 1989 they relocated to the Philadelphia area where Mary had a job offer at a comprehensive cancer center. After divorcing, Ken remarried to Laura Rivkin and they adopted their daughter Anne Mei Daly. Sadly Laura passed from cancer in 2010 and Ken found himself a single dad to a young teen in Princeton, NJ. Ken and Anne were very close and made it through the hard times as well as the good times. He dedicated his life to driving to high school functions, music lessons, 6:00 a.m. hockey practices and enjoying all of the small college town offerings.

He served many years as a Township Manager for Franklin County in Somerset, NJ. After retiring, Ken moved to Philadelphia in 2019. There, he spent his time with friends and family, indulging in Philly cuisine, volunteering with local community groups, going to the public library, visiting art museums, attending classical music concerts, walking his dog Sammie along the parkway and the river, and working diligently on his writing. In 2023, Ken moved to Quincy, MA, to be closer to his daughter, Anne, and siblings who lived in the area and to return to living near the water. In 2026, Ken moved to Braintree to live with Anne and Cameron, his grandson. Ken found great joy in being a grandparent and cherished every moment he spent with Cameron. Ken always found a way to connect to his community and make an impact to better those around him.

Ken was a long-time activist and a committed advocate for the less fortunate among us. He tutored speakers of foreign languages, volunteered to deliver food with Philly Thrive, participated in peaceful demonstrations, and spoke out on behalf of the poor and the homeless. He possessed a love of classical music, literature, history and baseball. His deep intellectual curiosity and encyclopedic memory were evidenced in the essays he published through online platforms on wide ranging topics including the arts, aging, grief, death, meditation and Buddhism.

Ken’s family will host a private celebration of his life on April 24, 2026.