Kenneth William Brophey, 86, entered the promise of eternal life on June 1, 2020, at Doctors Hospital of Sarasota.
Born July 17, 1933, in East Liverpool, OH to Joseph and Geraldine (McLaughlin) Brophey, Ken attended Youngstown State University where he played football. He also served honorably in the United States Army. He was an active member of the B.P.O. Elks and the Loyal Order of Moose.
Proud of his Irish heritage, Ken had a strong work ethic and insatiable zest for life. He was referred to by many as “Broph” and his friends and family would never miss an opportunity to get together and talk about old times around a little Jameson! He loved sports, especially boxing and football. Saturdays were spent cheering on the Fighting Irish, and Ken proved to us all that he was in fact the ultimate fighting Irishman. Ken was an accomplished custom home builder and he took great pride in achieving anything he set his mind to. Retirement was not in his vocabulary. He loved being active and was always involved in a project. Being a resident of Port Charlotte for over 10 years, Ken enjoyed fishing, riding his bike, and boating. He loved taking his family out on the water to find a good fishing spot, enjoy lunch at a nearby marina, or tie up at a friend’s dock and brag about his grandchildren. Without a doubt, they defined his happiness and sense of pride. He thought nothing of driving non-stop across the country to share in their accomplishments and create unshakeable memories.  One of his absolute favorite joys was sharing his love of cooking with family and friends. He was an amazing chef and imparted the love of good food to all that were in his presence. From homemade breads and sauces, to seafood and steaks, Ken’s legacy, hands down, is his homemade pizza. He truly perfected the art of pizza making which has reached the hearts of so many throughout the country. We are all so much richer because of Ken’s tenacious attitude, wealth of knowledge, gift for storytelling, love of a party, and incredibly amusing antics. Through this circle of life, may Ken’s descendants continue to represent his spirit and be comforted by his favorite Irish blessing:

 
Ken is survived by Heather (Tanny) Brophey, his loving wife of 32 years, a sister, Rosemary Jumper, sons, Greg (Debby) and Kenny (Amy), daughters, Julie (John) and Kenna (Jorge), 9 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, and a sister-in-law, Dolly Brophey. He is preceded in death by his brother, Tom Brophey.
A celebration of Ken’s life will be held on Friday, June 26th at 2:00, at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church. Interment will follow at a later date at Woodridge Memorial Park in Lexington, SC.
In compliance with suggested guidelines to help prevent the further spread of Covid 19 and protect our most vulnerable and at-risk individuals, we ask anyone in attendance to please be respectful of others and observe social distancing and wear a personal protective mask.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in memory of Kenneth Brophey be made to support the cancer research of Dr. Russ Hales, at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Please make checks payable to Johns Hopkins University, and include In Memory of Ken Brophey in memo field.  Mail to the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, P. O. Box 17029 Baltimore, MD 21297 or, online via the link below under Memorial.
Friends may visit online at www.robersonfh.com to extend condolences to the family. Arrangements are by Roberson Funeral Homes & Crematory, Port Charlotte Chapel.