Hugh Kinzel Phares, Iii Obituary (1942 - 2024)

Born Sep 29, 1942, Hugh Kinzel Phares, Iii attended El Camino High School in Sacramento, CA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Hugh Kinzel Phares, Iii.

Graduation Year	Class of 1960
Date of Birth	Sep 29, 1942
Date of Passing	Mar 13, 2024
About	Hugh Kinzel “Ken” Phares, III, with family by his side, died of cancer March 13 at the age of 81. While many of us aspire to be dignified, humble, kind, and gentle, Ken truly embodied these qualities and was well-respected by his friends and colleagues because of that. Ken is survived by his three children; Andrew and Theodore Phares, and Jennifer Paul; as well as by Jennifer’s husband Matthew and their six children; Michael, Teresa, Anna, Joseph, Thomas, and Alexander; and by Ken’s younger sister, Lisa, her wife Sue, and Lisa’s two children, Whitney and Ryan Marchand. He grew up in Sacramento, the son of a renowned ballet teacher (Marguerite Linton Phares) and an accomplished architect and college professor (Hugh Kinzel Phares, Jr.). Ken earned his bachelor’s degree at Sacramento State University and attended Hastings Law School in San Francisco. After passing the bar in 1974 he became a lawyer specializing in real estate. He worked as an in-house lawyer for Safeway before partnering with John Jay to own the Jay-Phares Corporation, which handled commercial real estate and became a brokerage/development/property management firm in Oakland. He had a charmingly business-like way of always answering the phone with a brisk, “Ken Phares,” no matter who was calling and always approached his work with integrity and professionalism. Some of his clients became life-long friends. He was also the most mild-mannered pool shark there ever was. He’d occasionally visit pool halls and, while his daughter looked on, sipping on a Shirley Temple, her suit-clad dad would be challenged to play tough-looking guys in friendly games for a few bucks. Imagine their surprise when Ken would pull out his own cue and dominate the game! He also participated several times in a yearly pool tournament in Reno, where he placed highly. He enjoyed watching players perform trick shots and talking about the geometry involved in the game. Ken married twice before finding the love of his life, Farol Johnson. They enjoyed 24 joyful years of marriage before her passing on January 29 of this year. Farol appreciated Ken and lifted him up. Together, they led a quietly exciting life, frequenting farmer’s markets near and far in search of the sweetest cherry tomatoes and unheard-of jams, driving out to the old Navy base to watch birds and people, and spending time together alone in parallel happily content. Ken, like his father before him, was a master of puns. Farol was an editor and loved the English language. She would always groan audibly, but she acknowledged every bit of his wordplay.He will be remembered for his generosity of spirit and love of life and family.