Kenneth Nelson Rainforth
Kenneth Nelson Rainforth, a longtime resident of Kapaa, died peacefully at the age of 77 on Feb. 28, 2025, from lung cancer.
Ken was born in Hastings, Nebraska, on July 28, 1947, to career Marine pilot Richard H. Rainforth and his wife Eva Nelson Rainforth. Because Ken’s father was in the military, Ken moved often and spent his childhood living in North Carolina, Virginia, California, Washington State, and finally Hawaii.
The family settled in Kailua on Oahu while Ken was in high school. He attended Punahou High School and then attended the University of Hawaii where he received a degree in Architectural Design.
Hawaii suited Ken well, and upon graduation he surfed and lived in his van at the beach. Eventually he moved to Kauai, first working as a skycap at the Kauai airport, and then opening a surfboard shop where he made beautiful fiberglass boards.
Ken met his wife Paz while working at a reality office in Lihue. Paz was a Property Manager, and Ken was a bookkeeper’s assistant. They married April 14, 1979, and moved to their house in Kapaa in 1980 where they would reside until this year.
Ken started his job at Kauai County Housing Agency in 1979, where he put his architecture degree and interest in housing to work for the next 30 years. Throughout his career he worked closely with the Agency team across six mayoral administrations to build affordable housing on the island. He had deep knowledge of the history and complexity of housing on Kauai, and worked tirelessly to ensure housing was secure from generation to generation. He helped create 5000 housing units during his tenure. His work benefited many.
In his free time Ken volunteered as a reserve police officer, was a competitive shooter, amazing cook, an avid gardener, and ancestry researcher.
He leaves behind his wife Paz, daughter Laura Ray (husband Ron), grandsons Trevor Fobel and Justin Fobel, sister Mary Lee Walsh (husband Bill), brother R. Russell Rainforth (wife Breanne) and niece Natalie Walsh.
