Kenneth Richard Bliss
Berlin

Kenneth Richard “Kenny” Bliss, 64, died unexpectedly on September 3, 2026, following a period of declining health. During the last two years of his life, Ken faced increasingly serious health problems and handled them with grace.

Ken was born on April 13, 1962, the son of Elizabeth (Loveland) Bliss and the late Frank R. Bliss Jr. The youngest of five children, he grew up in Maryland and Hawaii before eventually returning to Maryland, where he spent most of his adult life.

Ken attended Thornton Friends High School in Silver Spring, Maryland before moving to Ocean City, Maryland, where he began a long career in the restaurant industry. Starting as a line cook, he worked his way through the kitchen ranks, becoming a prep chef, sous chef, head chef, and eventually an executive chef.

Although he proved himself capable of running a kitchen, Ken discovered that he preferred cooking to management and was happiest as a sous chef, where he could concentrate on the food and the creative side of his profession. Over the years, he worked in a number of restaurants and also gained experience as a bartender. His final position was as a chef at Riderwood Retirement Community.

For Ken, however, cooking was much more than a profession. It was one of his great pleasures in life. He once won a national Chili contest with his own recipe. He loved experimenting with different foods, spices, ingredients, and cooking techniques. He approached food as an art form and was always interested in discovering a better way to prepare a dish. He loved to cook, and he certainly loved to eat.

Ken had many interests beyond the kitchen. He had a great love of live music and frequently bought extra tickets so that friends or family members could join him at concerts.

Ken’s greatest creative passion, however, was his artwork. He considered himself a pulp artist, creating art from colored paper pulp. Through his side business, Create Early Bliss, Ken shared his creativity with others by teaching them how to make paper-pulp art. His work and talents became known and appreciated within the paper-pulp art community.

Those who knew Ken will remember him as honest, generous, creative, and kindhearted. His artistic nature often found its way into the gifts he gave others. At Christmas and on birthdays, he enjoyed creating thoughtful, handmade gifts rather than simply buying something from a store. He cared deeply about his family and had a special affection for his many nieces and nephews.

Ken was the father of three children, Kilion, April, and Clarke Bliss. Although his path through life was not always a conventional one, family remained important to him, and he was loved by a large extended family and many friends.

Ken was predeceased by his father, Frank R. Bliss Jr. He is survived by his mother, Betsy Bliss; his three children, Kilion, April, and Clarke Bliss; his brother, Jeffrey Bliss; his sisters, Karen Stoddard, Diane Atwood, and Susan Landacre; nine nieces and nephews; eleven grandnieces and grandnephews; and many other relatives and friends whose lives were touched by his generosity, humor, creativity, and friendship.

He was well-liked, deeply loved, and unmistakably himself. His family and friends will miss him greatly.

There will be a memorial in the coming weeks. Contact jdbliss333@gmail.com for more information.