Kenneth L. Senter ’45 died on October 22, 2025, in Sedgwick, Maine.
(The following was provided by Acadia Burial & Cremation Direct in October 28, 2025:)
Kenneth L. Senter ’45
Kenneth Lee Senter, MD, beloved husband to Mirna Senter-Zapata, loving father to Lee (Jon), Tana (Howard), Kenneth III, Martina (Joe), Eric, Michael (Tasha), and cherished grandfather to Ryan (Sara), Ben (Amber), Jeff (Joslynn), Jacob (Karly), Adam, Kenneth IV (Allison), Andy (Amanda), Vivienne, Connor, Morgan (Harrison), and Andrew, and great-grandfather to fourteen, passed peacefully in Sedgwick, Maine on October 22nd, 2025, with his wife Mirna, youngest son Michael, and Michael’s wife, Tasha, at his side. He was 101 years of age.
Kenneth was born on June 25th, 1924, in Manchester, NH, and grew up in Derry, where he attended Pinkerton Academy. He graduated from high school at age 15 and enrolled at Bowdoin College, where he ran varsity track, honed a lifelong passion for sketching, and earned a bachelor of science in chemistry in 1945. He then earned his MD degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1948. He went on to complete his surgical internship and residency at Boston City Hospital/Harvard Medical School (Fifth Surgical Service) from 1948 to 1955. Kenneth also served in the military during his early training, and entered the United States Naval reserve as a hospital corpsman during World War II. He later served as chief of surgery at the 128th Station Hospital in Zama, Japan, during the Korean War. He ultimately attained the naval rank of lieutenant commander.
In 1955, Kenneth started his professional career in Los Angeles, California, as a general surgeon. He served California Medical Center in Los Angeles as chief of staff and director of medical education until 1986. He concurrently held appointments at Los Angeles Orthopedic Hospital, Los Angeles County Hospital, and at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Medicine, where he taught many residents over the years as a professor of surgery. He was beloved by his trainees, staff, and patients, always putting their care and well-being first. Many of his patients, young and old, continued to acknowledge him throughout his life, thanking him for the kindness and care he showed to them and their families.
Kenneth received countless awards and accolades during his professional career, including the 1992 Los Angeles Physician Humanitarian Award and the 2004 Samuel J. Tibbits Lantern of Hope Award for dedication to the medical profession. He was a member of many respected associations and medical societies, including the American College of Surgeons, the Association of California Medical Educators, the Los Angeles Academy of Medicine, and USC’s Society of Graduate Surgeons.
Despite his many accomplishments and a busy surgical career, Kenneth made time for adventure. As a member of the Adventurers Club of Los Angeles, he and his intrepid travel companions mountain-climbed in Patagonia, Borneo, Mexico, Africa, Ecuador, Peru, and Siberia, and completed many off-grid treks in Belize, Tunisia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mali (Timbuktu), Papua New Guinea, Tibet (Mt. Everest Base Camp), Marshall Islands (Mili), the South Pacific, the British Solomon Islands, Kyrgyzstan, China, Laos, Vietnam, Niger, Siberia, Northeastern India, Jordan, Syria, and Iran. He also was an avid scuba diver and enjoyed deep dives in Truk Lagoon and the Caroline Islands in the South Pacific.
However, his favorite form of adventure was flying. He was the proud owner of a World War II Ryan S-C coastal patroller and spent countless weekends flying up and down the California coast out of Santa Paula. On his sixtieth birthday, he stuck his first parachute jump and shortly afterwards mastered recreational aerobatics. He always cited the “Cuban 8” as his favorite aerial stunt, though breaking an inverted spin was a close second. A sign hangs in his home in Maine that reads, “Flying is the second greatest thrill known to man. Landing is the first.” He enjoyed soaring above the rocky Maine coastline in a Cessna in his later life.
After retiring from general surgery in 1994, he settled in Sedgwick, Maine, and volunteered as medical director of the Ellsworth Free Medical Clinic where he served the greater peninsula, seeing patients until the age of 90.
Above all, Kenneth loved his family and was proud of the accomplishments of each of his children and their beautiful families. Kenneth is survived by his wife, Mirna, six children, eleven grandchildren, and fourteen great-grandchildren.
His family extends heartfelt thanks to his many friends and neighbors in Sedgwick that provided generous support and compassion at the end of his life.