Lake Orion native Kevin Charles Warren died Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016, at his home in Phoenix, Arizona, after a brief battle with cancer. He was 56.

Mr. Warren was an owner-operator truck driver for Swift Transportation and previously worked as a carpet installer and handyman. His favorite hobby was music and playing guitar, and he loved sharing his music and teaching others to play. He also loved children and enjoyed his time off the road with his stepchildren and step-grandchildren who loved their “K.” He was an intense dog lover, always keeping a pet even when he could barely support himself, including Buddy who passed away several years ago, and his longtime trucking traveling companion, Gwennie.

A 1978 Lake Orion High School graduate, Mr. Warren was a member of the Sons of The American Legion Squadron 233, Lake Orion, and when his travels allowed, he enjoyed visiting his friends at both the Lake Orion post and at American Legion Post 108 in Oxford.

A proud American, Mr. Warren flew the Stars and Stripes from the mirrors of his bright red semi-truck as he crisscrossed the nation. He replaced those flags whenever they became tattered from countless miles in the wind, and that collection of highway-worn flags became his focus during his final months. To distract himself from the effects of cancer treatments, Mr. Warren worked tirelessly to hand-sew those tattered flags on T-shirts as gifts for his relatives and friends across the country.

Mr. Warren is survived by his wife, Kathy Compton-Warren, of Phoenix (formerly of Lake Orion); his father, Terry Max Warren of Sterling, Va.; brothers Arthur Weiss of Grand Rapids, Mich., Steven Warren of Holly, Mich., and Terry Michael Warren, of Virginia; a sister, Teresa Brann, of Waterford, Mich.; four nieces, two nephews, three stepchildren and four step-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his mother, Janice Maxwell Young, and a brother, Richard Warren.

A Celebration of Life for Mr. Warren is planned for 1-4 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Lake Orion American Legion, 164 S. Broadway. Memorial contributions to assist with medical bills and funeral expenses may be made to the family via “Kevin Warren’s memorial fund by Cheryl Chaves-Torres” at https://www.gofundme.com/2jnqcj8.