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Kenneth Towers Obituary
Kenneth Towers, 90, former editor of the Chicago Sun Times passed away on Wednesday, October 22 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. A resident of East Lakeview and of Fontana Wisconsin, Mr. Towers was the husband of the late Rita Kennedy Towers and Roberta Randall Stier. Ken was born in the Chatham neighborhood of Chicago. Ken was a graduate of Northwestern University where he majored in philosophy and journalism. Ken started his journalism career as a copy boy at the Sun Times and with his intelligence and fairness, worked his way up to Editor. Ken was a president of the Chicago Press Club and attended many of the White House Correspondents dinners in Washington D.C. "He was a lover of humanity, and in his illustrious career in the press, he shaped public opinion towards compassion and balanced thought on equality. As an older brother, uncle, and professional and personal mentor to many, he was a playful showman who used humor and intellect to inspire young minds in forming opinions on important social issues." Ken is survived by his wife Roberta, his sisters, Pam, Joyce and Deborah. He is survived by many nieces and nephews who will remember him fondly. Visitation will take place Monday, November 3, 2025 from 9:30am to 10:30am at Our Lady at St. Germaine, 98th Street & Kolin Avenue, Oak Lawn, IL 60453. Funeral Mass will begin at 10:30am. Burial to follow at Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery, 6001 W 111th St, Alsip, IL 60803.
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2 Entries
Wynne Delacoma
November 5, 2025
I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Ken Towers. He hired me in 1990 after I had worked nearly a decade as a freelance music and dance critic and feature writer for the paper. My subsequent 16 years as the Sun-Times' staff classical music critic turned the career I had long dreamed about into reality. Our paths also crossed as adjunct faculty members at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. He was a good man, and I will miss him.
Wynne Delacoma
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Jon Ziomek
October 31, 2025
I first met Ken when I began at the Sun-Times in 1969. Ken had worked his way up to assistant managing editor from the position of copy boy, as the job was known then. I was a copy boy, too, and eventually made it to a reporter position, but Ken kept on rising, through assistant managing editor, all the way up to editor in chief. Ken was a good sport - literally. He often played third base for the Sun-Times softball team. (In those days, there were so many Chicago media outlets that we could fill an entire league of media teams.) Ken and I stayed connected after I moved into academics at Northwestern University. When he retired from the Sun-Times, I hired him to help with the Medill graduate journalism students newsroom in Chicago. He was a fine editor and a highly ethical journalist. I'm glad he was a part of my career.
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