Kenneth Robert Softley

Kenneth “Ken” Robert Softley, 89, of Topeka, passed away Sunday, January 11, 2026. He was living in his private apartment in a care facility in Topeka, battling several kinds of cancer. Ken entered the long sleep peacefully, after breakfast, in his recliner ready to watch playoff football. A most fitting departure doing something he dearly loved.

He was born July 16, 1936, in Grafton, Nebraska, the son of Lloyd Alfred and Alice Mary (Kleinschmidt) Softley. Family moves during his youth took him to Kearney, NE and on to Chadron, NE. Career moves took him to Colorado and ultimately Kansas.

Ken is survived by daughter, Kimberly Harper (Tom) of Las Vegas, NV; son, Jeffrey “Jeff” Softley of West Hollywood, CA; and brother-in-law Bill Wickham of Oro Valley, AZ. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Lloyd, Jr., and sisters Helen (Bill) Moore and Judy (Bill) Wickham. Ken was quite small in his youth, yet always looked out for his older brother who was struck early with polio. This had quite an impact on Ken, to see his big brother weakened by the disease and struggle for the rest of his life. They were quite close their entire lives.

Ken attended Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH, graduating in 1953. This was a transformative phase in his life, creating indelible experiences, memories and lifelong friendships. He came from farm families in rural Nebraska, and due to good academic scores and a rare opportunity, he was accepted on a scholarship. Ken was introduced to rowing as a sport and he loved it. Being smaller at this age, he became the coxswain on the lead boat, and continued with the crew team his entire period at Exeter. Even after graduating, he participated in alumni activities, and maintained and treasured his friendships to the end, with Zoom meetings every Tuesday.

Ken was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity while he attended the University of Nebraska. Upon graduation, Ken began more than 25 years in radio, working at Nebraska stations in Lincoln and Hastings, in Denver, and Kansas stations in Wichita and Topeka, in various roles and capacities. He also did some television as well, doing sports for Wichita local news, and occasionally the weather. Ken considered Wichita the high point of his broadcasting career. He was a play-by-play announcer for Wichita State football and basketball teams, and did color broadcasts for the Wichita Shockers basketball team.

Ken turned to public address microphones for the AAA Wichita Aeros baseball team, the National Baseball Congress state and national tournaments, the Kansas state high school track and field meets, and UST&FF national meets. He helped promote the Wichita Rowing Association, and was later a volunteer for the Topeka Rowing Association and its Great Plains Rowing Championships regattas, activities that drew on his experience as a coxswain on the crew at Phillips Exeter. At age 68 he competed in a seniors rowing event in Topeka.

After retiring from broadcasting, he worked for the State of Kansas in Topeka for their Health Services Dept. until his employment retirement. In addition to radio broadcasting, he was active in his community in numerous capacities. Ken also served one year as president of the Kappa Sigma alumni chapter in Topeka, and was active in the Northeast Kansans For Nebraska alumni chapter, attending all the Nebraska game watches at Hooters. Ken has also served his former classmates as Class Correspondent for the quarterly Exeter Bulletin. He regularly recorded PSA announcements for local PBS stations, and in particular the Topeka Jazz Workshop, his second love behind sports.

Ken was well known for sharing his love of jazz with everyone, a joy he shared with sister Judy in particular. It was sister Helen who first exposed him to jazz music, and he particularly loved the improvisational nature of jazz. It was definitely his passion and probably became the thing he loved most in this world. Shortly after moving to Topeka, he became active in the Topeka Jazz Workshop serving several years as vice president of the membership concert series. Ken managed many of the logistical aspects of the concert seasons, ensuring artists were attended to, and the venues were properly prepared for sound checks and audiences. He then posted-up at the door greeting the many arrivals. Over these years, he befriended numerous members and artists - local, regional, national and international, and relished these relationships. His immense collection of music albums, cassettes and CD’s filled over 30 boxes. His jazz and brass band albums now reside in Washburn University’s music listening room in Topeka.

No services are planned.

Memorial contributions to the TJW Scholarship fund would be welcomed at Topeka Jazz Workshop, Box 452, Topeka, KS 66601

or visit topekajazz.com

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