Kenneth George Bielen

Kenneth George Bielen breathed his last breath on earth on March 14, 2026, surrounded by his family. He will live on forever in the hearts of those who loved him and we’ll remember Ken as a world traveler, author, scholar, music aficionado, man of faith, baseball fan, friend and most of all a devoted husband and father.

Ken was born on November 12, 1949 and lived his early years in Bayonne, NJ, before his family moved to Fords, NJ. From an early age, Ken was a prolific record-keeper, and his life chronicle includes happy (and detailed) memories of traveling with his mother, Frances; father, Stanley; and sisters, Judy and Joyce; as well as attending concerts with his family and friends.

Ken met his bride, Mary Hendrie, at Grace & Peace Fellowship in Cranford, NJ. After forming a friendship, they began dating. Ken proposed to Mary at Storm King Art Center: he wrapped five nested boxes, with the smallest containing a note: Will you marry me?. (They picked out a ring together later). Ken and Mary were wed on May 14, 1983 and built their love over their 43-year marriage.

Ken actively demonstrated his love for his three children, Kelly, Alex and Dylan. He never missed a concert, game, or play. He put more than 320,000 miles on his Seafoam Green 1998 Mercury Villager by driving to college visits, dorm move-ins, parents’ weekends, and drum corps shows. He celebrated and supported his children as adults and we are so thankful for his emails, phone calls, answers to obscure questions, and his presence at the big and little milestones of life.

Following his graduation from John F. Kennedy Memorial High School in Fords, Ken went on to earn a bachelors from Rutgers University (1971) and a masters from the University of Rhode Island (1973). Later in life he moved with his family to Ohio to pursue his passions for popular culture and music, graduating with a Doctorate in American Culture Studies from Bowling Green State University in 1994.

Ken’s day job was in grant writing, including many years at Feller & Finch in Northwest Ohio. He retired as the Director of Research Support, Integrity and Sponsored Programs at Indiana Wesleyan University, a job he loved. He found a true home in the IWU community, building close friendships (including the Three Musketeers), ardently supporting Wildcats Athletics, and serving as a guest lecturer for several classes. He also found time to occasionally teach Popular Culture courses at BGSU.

Music was Ken’s passion and area of expertise. He owned more than 5,000 record albums, he always knew the right song for the occasion, and he could beat anyone in music trivia, having an uncanny knack for identifying the exact year a song was released. Ken found abundant joy in seeing live music and documented shows he attended (and ticket prices). The highlight was attending Woodstock - he recorded the festival on his reel-to-reel recorder and was frequently interviewed about his experience.

Ken also authored five books that explored meaning in artist’s work as well as biblical representation in pop music: The Lyrics of Civility, The Words and Music of John Lennon (with Ben Urish), The Words and Music of Neil Young, The Words and Music of Billy Joel and Portraying Performer Image in Record Album Cover Art. He was determined and tenacious in navigating the world of publishing.

Ken was passionate about travel. He frequently explored Europe in his 20s and 30s, both solo and with his cousin and adventure companion Marty Wernock, often for longer than his mother would have liked. His European travels included a term at Dutch L’Abri, where he met friends he stayed in touch with for decades. In retirement, he was able to redevote himself to international travel. He traveled to the Caribbean twice in 2025 and his final list of countries visited numbers 22. We are eternally grateful to Orville and Terrie Blackman for hosting him and Alex in Barbados in February 2026 – though Ken hoped to travel more this year, we are so grateful he could experience the Bajan way of life.

So many of us will carry Ken’s love and kindness for the rest of our lives, including his wife Mary; children Dylan (Kala), Alex, Kelly (Patrick); sisters Joyce (John) McNally and Judy (Brent) Smith; niece and nephew Emily and Evan; extended family; and friends from Bayonne, Fords, Rutgers, Rhode Island, Bowling Green, Indiana Wesleyan, and Fredericksburg. Ken’s mother and father, Frances and Stanley, left this life ahead of him.

We invite you to celebrate Ken’s life at a service at The Presbyterian Church in Westfield, NJ at 11 am on Saturday, March 28. Donations in Ken’s memory can be made to Andromeda Botanical Gardens in Bathsheba, Barbados through the Friends of Andromeda Botanical Gardens or to the American Heart Association. We also encourage you to buy an album from your local record store and send a picture of it to Ken’s album cover Instagram, biscuitcityroad.