Kenneth L. Gebhart

Kenneth L. Gebhart, 85, passed away Thursday, April 29, 2021, peacefully surrounded by his family. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He had a long and varied career in aviation as a Naval Aviator flying patrol planes, and also as an Air Force pilot flying fighters. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958, he went on to earn a Master’s degree in Physics from the University of Louisville (his original hometown). He went to work for Boeing in Wichita as a Flight Test Engineer in 1965 and rose to being its Chief of Flight Operations, and Chief Test Pilot in 1980. Meanwhile, in 1972, he founded Celestaire, Inc., a company selling celestial navigation equipment. To promote, and test his theories, he made several flights across both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in single engine Cessnas, using the only available navigation system at that time - celestial. Ken went to China in 1986 to procure marine sextants. After concluding a joint venture there, Celestaire rose to be the largest distributor of sextants and related publications in the world. In 1990 he took early retirement from Boeing at age 55 to devote full time to running his company. Ken enjoyed traveling internationally to visit his many worldwide dealers, and to exhibit at trade shows. Although much of his social life was outside of Wichita, he enjoyed sharing and learning from his many friends at the World Trade Council of Wichita, and the Wichita Committee for Foreign Relations. He was also an Associate Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and an avid member of the Order of Quiet Birdmen. Visitation will be from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Sunday, May 2, 2021, at Downing & Lahey East Mortuary. Rosary will be at 7:30 pm, Sunday, May 2, 2021; Funeral Mass will be at 10:00 am, Monday, May 3, 2021, both at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. Preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Elise Gebhart; first wife, Mary Lee Gebhart; son, Douglas Gebhart; great-grandchild, Gracelyn Stimson. Survived by his wife, Eileen Kludt; sons, Kenneth L. (Amy) Gebhart, Jr., both of Wichita, Thomas E. (Susan) Gebhart of Los Angeles, CA, Eric L. Gebhart of San Antonio, TX; daughters, Mary E. (Randall) Relph of Wichita, KS, Kimberly E. (Brian) Jones of Metuchen, NJ; Eileen’s loving children, Heather (Warren) Schwanz of Andover, KS, David (Nicole) Kludt of Austin, TX, Amanda (Erick) Anderson of League City, TX; 24 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren. A memorial has been established with: American Heart Association, 1861 N. Rock Rd. #380, Wichita, KS 67206.