Obituaries

J. Kenneth Latzer, of Northridge, CA, died on March 24, 2017 at age 98.He was born on August 16, 1918 in New York, NY to Sam and Celia Latzer. He moved to Los Angeles, by way of Arizona, and graduated from UCLA in 1939 as a math major, with a talent for the radio. His deep baritone singing voice was put aside after college graduation, instead working as an engineer in aviation at Douglas Aircraft through WWII, then at the RAND Corporation, and finally as an aerospace engineer on the Apollo project at North American Rockwell through the 1960’s. After 30 years as an engineer he transitioned to teaching, spending the next 34 years working as a junior high and high school math teacher, his last 20 years at James Monroe High School. Late in life he took and passed the Mensa test, “just for fun” he said. Ken’s final months were spent enjoying some of his favorite things in life: the Dodgers, ice cream and Sudoku. He was preceded in death by his wife, Annabelle Latzer, whom he married in 1949, in Beverly Hills, and his daughter, Fern Chamberlain. Survivors include his sister, Francis Pin, son, Michael Latzer, daughter, Lynn Shapley, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be at 11 AM, Sunday, April 2, 2017, at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary.