Kenneth, a resident at Harmony at Victory Station, died Tuesday morning at home with his wife Irma Irene Blythe by his side.

Kenneth was born in a mining camp in Block, Kentucky on July 18,1924, to the late Richard and Maggie Taulbee Blythe. He graduated from Williamsburg High School in 1942 and was soon after drafted into the Army, serving his country as a Navigator in the Army Air Corps.

Blythe returned to Kentucky after the war ended and got an electrical engineering degree at the University of Kentucky in 1948. While pursuing his master's degree in electrical engineering at the University of Tennessee he met his future wife, Irma Irene Hearon, a resident of Happy Valley in Blount County Tennessee who was studying at East Tennessee State Teacher's College (now ETSU) in Johnson City to become a teacher. They married at Happy Valley Missionary Baptist Church in June of 1954, while he was working his first engineering job at Reynolds Metals of Arkadelphia, Arkansas.

Their first child, Teresa Ann, was born in Arkadelphia in December of 1956 and two years later they had a son, Kenneth Wayne, who had a fatal medical condition and died nine hours after being born. Their next move was to Huntsville, Alabama where Kenneth worked on guided missiles at the U.S. Army Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal. Just months after making the job change and moving to Huntsville, their son Byron Kent was born in May of 1961.

Kenneth enjoyed a successful 30-year career as a Department of Defense systems engineer, officially retiring in 1984 to spend several years as a consultant to his former employer. During that phase of retirement, Kenneth and Irma traveled extensively around the world.

Kenneth was a deeply committed Christian who devoted hours each week to Lakewood Baptist Church in Huntsville as a deacon, Sunday schoolteacher and mission volunteer. He loved attending worship, reading and studying the Bible and praying.

In the late 1980's, he and Irma fulfilled a dream of theirs, moving into a rustic home they built on Hearon family land adjacent to the Smoky Mountain National Park in Happy Valley. While living there, Kenneth served as a deacon at Happy Valley Missionary Baptist Church. They later moved into Asbury Place retirement community in Maryville and in the summer of 2025 moved to Murfreesboro, Tennessee to live in Harmony at Victory Station Assisted Living facilities.

His family celebrates that Kenneth always found much in life to be grateful for—God's grace, his children and grandchildren, good books, morning Bible study as well as Irma's excellent cooking and baking skills!

Survivors of Kenneth Blythe include his wife, Irma; daughter and son-in-law, Teresa and Duane Schneider of Phoenix, Arizona; son and daughter-in-law, Byron and Rebecca Blythe of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; grandchildren Patrick Kenneth Blythe and Amanda Hesterberg and her husband Zach Hesterberg.

Blythe was preceded in death by his parents Richard and Maggie Blythe; his son Kenneth Wayne; a brother Homer Dale Blythe and sister Kathleen Witt.

The funeral celebration of life was officiated by Rev. Charles Huskey.  A Graveside will be held at the Happy Valley church cemetery on December 28,2025 at 2:00 PM. By his request, please no flowers. Memorial donations may be made to Happy Valley Cemetery Fund 6525 Happy Valley Rd 37878.

Arrangements for the funeral by Miller Funeral Home (865)982-6041 Maryville TN 37801.