Kenneth E. Gorrell

Kenneth Edward Gorrell of Northfield, NH passed away at his home on December 28, 2019. Ken was born on October 22, 1963 in Rochester, NH and spent his childhood in Northfield, at a farmhouse that has been in the family since the 1700s. He graduated from Winnisquam Regional High School and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY where he completed the Navy ROTC program. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the U.S. Navy. Ken was designated a Surface Warfare Officer and served in positions as Navigator, Anti-Submarine Officer, Tactical Action Officer, and Operations Officer. During his many tours and deployments, he earned distinctions which included the Kuwait Liberation Medal and the National Defense Service Medal among many others. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander before transitioning to the Naval Reserve and working in the private sector. He held positions as a defense contractor/consultant before returning to the family farm in Northfield with his wife Holli (Cook) Gorrell. In recent years, Ken dedicated much time to mentoring at-risk youth, as a CASA volunteer, Guardian ad Litem and Educational Guardian and worked with the Boy Scouts organization. He was a gifted writer and penned a bi-weekly column on contemporary issues in the Weirs Times. In 2009, he published the wartime memoir of a relative, Henry Tilton Gorrell, who covered the front lines during WW2, refining an original manuscript stored for decades at the family farm. Ken and Holli loved to entertain, and friends and family gathered regularly in their beautiful farmhouse with its sweeping views of NH mountain ranges. Ken was predeceased by his parents, Kenneth M. Gorrell and Charity (Tonkin) Haines. Ken is survived by his beloved wife, Holli; and by his sister Shannon (Gorrell) Reid of Epsom, her husband Tom Reid and their children, Katherine and Peter; and by a close extended family. A service will be held at the NH Veterans Cemetery Chapel on January 13 at 11 AM. Donations in memory of Ken can be made to Spaulding Youth Center (www.spauldingyouthcenter.org), 72 Spaulding Rd., Northfield, NH 03276.