Kenneth Howell's life was marked by a series of significant events, starting with his marriage to Marguerite A. Thomson in 1942, a union that would ultimately lead to the birth of his daughter, Stephanie Rye Howell, on September 9, 1943. This pivotal moment in his life was preceded by a brief leave from his duties as a Medical Corp Man in the US Navy, a career path he had chosen to pursue. However, his marriage to Marguerite would not last, as he eventually came to terms with his sexuality and divorced her around 1945.
The consequences of his decision would be far-reaching, as he would ultimately lose contact with his daughter, Stephanie, after the age of five. It would take her several years to reach out to him, making phone contact when she turned twenty-one, but unfortunately, this would not lead to any physical reunions. Despite this, Kenneth's life would continue to be marked by turmoil, ultimately ending in tragedy when he took his own life by gunshot on a small boat moored in a harbor on the California coast.