Kenneth Wayne Hartsfield

Kenneth Wayne Hartsfield, age 79, of Birmingham, AL, passed away on Monday, May 22, 2023.

He was born on September 21, 1943 in Birmingham, Alabama as the middle son of Mary Kiedinger Hartsfield and Erskin Hartsfield.

As a 1961 graduate of Shades Valley High School, he enrolled in the Cooperative Education Program at Auburn University. He then worked and paid his own way through college by co-oping with Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas and Vitro in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. With hard work and dedication, he proudly graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering in August of 1966.

Following his graduation from Auburn University, he moved to Florida after accepting permanent employment with Vitro. This is where he met and married his wife of 56 years, Carol T. Hartsfield, in February of 1967.

In 1972 he went back to school full time. He graduated from the University of West Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting in August of 1973.

Directly following his University of West Florida graduation, he moved back to Birmingham to begin his career with South Central Bell (aka Bellsouth / AT&T) as an OSP Engineer. Over the next almost 42 years, he worked in various capacities to include: OSP Engineering Level 1 and 2, State Staff, Capital Budget Administrator, OSP/ISF Group Supervisor, Corporate Project Administration and an OSP Liaison working to develop an ADSL Loop Qualification process. In September of 1994, he transferred to Bellsouth International - European International and worked extensively in Brussels, Belgium; Utrecht, Netherlands; Dusseldorf, Germany; Paris, France and Barcelona, Spain on a Telecommunications project.

He completed that project in July of 1995 and transferred back to the Bellsouth Science and Technology Group. He resumed working as an OSP Liason in the ADSL Loop Qualification process, distributing over 30 different process releases as technology continued to evolve.

He earned a number of accolades throughout the years but most specifically he was awarded the "In the Company of Leaders" award for the successful development of the Qualification process in the Spring of 1999. He also received his first patent for the ADSL Loop Qualification process in March of 2005. He received a second patent in March of 2012 for the upgrade releases. He continued to work on additional qualification releases until his retirement on March 30, 2015 after 41 years and 7 months of employment.

Following his retirement, he found tremendous joy in traveling and spending time with his two beloved granddaughters, Violet (13) and Ambree (13).

He successfully battled lymphatic cancer in 2016 and went into full remission in 2017.

He was originally a member of McElwain Baptist Church, and most recently North Clay Baptist Church.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Mary and Erskine Kiedinger; his brother, Thomas A. Hartsfield, and several extended family members.

He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Carol T.; his brother, Robert (Doris); his cousins Robert and Ronnie; his children, Laurie (Dan); Greg (Kathy) and Aimee (Chad); his granddaughters, Violet and Ambree and a host of extended family and friends.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, May 25, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home and Gardens.  A service in his honor will immediately follow in the chapel. Burial will conclude in the adjoining cemetery.