Home » Past Obituaries » Kenneth E. Dunn

Kenneth E. Dunn

Kenneth E. Dunn, 81, of Lebanon, Tennessee, passed away at St. Thomas West in Nashville on April 5, 2023.  Ken lived a life full of adventures.  Born on April 22, 1941, in Nashville, he grew up in Donelson and graduated from Donelson High School.  Upon graduation, he attended both Vanderbilt and University of Colorado, acquiring an early appreciation for antiques.  Then he traveled the world as an airline steward and made many friends, with whom he stayed in touch to the end.  When his father died unexpectedly in 1970, Ken returned to middle Tennessee and settled on his family’s farm in Lebanon, where he began farming and raising llamas.  Ken was very active in the national and international llama communities and was well known for his annual booth at the Wilson County Fair with his prize-winning llamas.  Many folks may have snapped a photo with Ken and the llamas.  When he wasn’t farming, you could always find Ken looking for antiques, as he loved giving new life to old treasures.  Ken was a dear friend to many and he will be missed by everyone who knew him.  Ken was preceded in death by his mother, Mary Lou Massey Dunn, of Lebanon, and father Arthur Dunn.

A Celebration of the Life of Ken Dunn will be held on April 22, 2023 (Ken’s 82nd birthday) at 2 p.m. at Ligon & Bobo Funeral Home in Lebanon, TN.  Please come with a story to tell about Ken and his llamas or his antiquing life.  Interment will follow on a later date in Poplar Hill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the International Llama Registry, P.O. Box 8, Kalispell, MT. 59903.

LIGON & BOBO FUNERAL HOME of Lebanon (615) 444-2142   www.ligonbobo.com

Messages for the Family

  1. Kathie Haber says:
    Kenn was such a llama friend. I remember having many conversations with him regarding llamas. We were new to llamas and TN but Kenn made us welcome. Kenn also gave us pointers about setting up our farm as we were new to farming too! It has been several years since I saw Kenn but I asked mutual acquaintances about him. Came across a niece, I think she was, when I was in a hospital for an infection. I asked her to say hi to him from me. Was happy to hear he still had his llamas. I had just had to give mine up due to health.

    I will always remember him. I am happy to hear his llamas will have a happy life.

  2. Debbie Andrews says:
    He was a wonderful man we always enjoyed visiting with him at shows he loved his llamas he was always fun to talk to and had lots of stories.
  3. Melody Weist says:
    Ken was a true friend and will be deeply missed. Just saw you last month. Thank you for all your kind words and talks about life’s ups and downs. Rest easy my friend. You did it your way! I’ll miss seeing you ..
  4. Jennifer Searles says:
    8 years ago Mason and I walked thru the gates and up that long driveway on DLC road to meet a man that little did we know would become an integral part of our lives. You quickly became our friend and slowly became our family. We will hold dear all the many memories we made with you from dinners, taking shelter from tornados in the basement, making us breakfast, long chats under the bright blue Tennessee sky or evening stars, watermelon parties, your love for animals: the llamas, Bigbird, and our precious Peaches, but most of all your unique and humorous one-liners that always had us in stitches. We still cannot believe that you are no longer part of this world with us.

    Thank you for sharing your adventurous stories of your life’s journeys and opening your home and heart to Mason and I. We are lucky to have had you as part of our lives every day and will cherish our time at Rebels Rest forever. I hope your resting easy in a field of endless llamas – and that the field is “greener than poison”. We will miss you our dear friend!

  5. Nancy Miller-Borg says:
    Ken was a great guy and a real asset to the llama community. His friendship will be missed.
  6. Miriam Lowenstein says:
    Ken was a dear soul, kind, and always willing to help out anyone in need. His compassion was not just expressed in words. Ken’s humor, always coming in a quick delivery, surprised and delighted me. Memories of visits with him are precious. I’ll never see a picture of a llama without thinking of you and how yours were beloved by you. Rest in peace, dear man. You will be missed.
  7. D & T, Alexandria says:
    Ken, a genuine soul, the world is less without him. He was true! We miss you.