TATOR

KENNETH B. "KEN"

Age 84, of Pittsburgh, PA, and Boca Raton, FL, passed away suddenly on May 7, 2026. He is reunited with his beloved wife, Maureen Hegarty Tator, whom he missed deeply after her passing in 2025.

Ken was a devoted brother, father, husband, grandfather, friend, veteran, engineer, entrepreneur, athlete, and mentor. A graduate of Lafayette College with an MBA from Columbia University, he served as a lieutenant in the United States Navy before beginning a remarkable professional career. After assuming leadership of his father's company at age 28, Ken helped build KTA-Tator, Inc., into a nationally and internationally respected engineering, inspection, consulting, and testing firm. He became an internationally recognized expert in protective coatings, corrosion control, and materials performance; authored many technical articles; and wrote Volume 5B: Protective Organic Coatings for the esteemed ASM Handbook, a 545-page work that few would mistake for beach reading.

Ken's drive extended well beyond his professional life. He loved basketball and tennis and remained competitive into his later years. In 2025, at age 83, he won a gold medal in the 85-plus division at a senior basketball tournament in Locarno, Switzerland, which seems both mathematically generous and entirely fitting.

Ken is survived by his children, Kenneth, Anne, Jonathan, Christopher, and Mary Kathryn; seven grandchildren; his sister, Trina Johnston; his former wife, Christine Logan Theakston; Lynne McDowell; and Maureen's beloved extended family.

Funeral arrangements by BEINHAUERS. Friends and family are welcome at 2828 Washington Rd., McMurray, 724-941-3211, on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, 3-8 PM. Service and interment are private. Please view the full obituary at:

www.beinhauer.com