LeatherTitleholders
OKLAHOMA CITY – On Friday, April 27th, the leather community was saddened to hear of the passing of Daddy Ken Thomas, after a lengthy hospitalization in Oklahoma City. Ken had traveled to Oklahoma in March, to support his partner, Tim, in making the arrangements for Tim’s mother’s funeral. It was while they were there that Ken suddenly took seriously ill and was hospitalized.
Ken was born in Boston, and raised in Seattle, but he had a deep love for San Francisco, and considered it his true home. He was active in the leather community for more than 20 years, as a member of the Seattle Men in Leather, and then the Portland Leather Alliance, but he is most known for his involvements in the leather community in San Francisco over the past 12 years : Director of the San Francisco MAsT chapter; executive committee member for Leather Levi Weekend, and Chair of its 2011 event; Advisory Board member for SF Citadel; Education Chair for the Dungeon Monitors Association; fraternal member and past Secretary of The 15 Association; member of The Society of Janus; and “Mama’s Old School Daddy” in Mama’s Family in Leather. Outside of the kink community, Ken was also involved as a member of the Friends of the Pink Triangle.
In 2008, Ken and Tim won the titles of Northwest Master and slave, and proudly represented their region and won the titles of International Master and slave in South Plains, Texas the following year.
Ken was known by his community as the archetypal Daddy, with a mix of gentleness and firmness in his relationships. Many people in the SF leather community looked to him for mentoring and guidance, and appreciated the knowledge and wisdom he shared when teaching for groups such as the Cascade AIDS Project, Leatherman’s Discussion Group, The Society of Janus, Leather Traditions, Folsom Fringe, Northwest Leather Celebration, and South Plains Leatherfest.
Daddy Ken is survived by his partner, Tim Pursell, family members in Seattle, San Jose, and Dallas, as well as a large and loving leather family in San Francisco and beyond. He believed in the extended leather family, which included lovers past, and individuals who were becoming part of his life at the time of his death.
Ken left instructions to be cremated, and to have his presence shared in several special places from his life. There will be a memorial service for family and friends in Seattle on the weekend of May 26th , and a memorial service for his leather family and the San Francisco community in San Francisco on June 1st. Details of the memorial services will be shared as soon as they are available.
In lieu of flowers, his partner Tim asks that donations in memory of Daddy Ken be sent to the Leather Archives and Museum (http://www.leathera
