Kenneth Earl Wayne Hansom

We are saddened to advise of this loss of a caring and gentle friend, colleague and mentor for so many. He will be sadly missed.

Ken was welcomed at birth into the care of foster parents Eva Hansom and her sister Martha who at the time lived in a home on the banks of the Fraser River at the foot of Victoria Drive in Vancouver. They offered shelter, love, care and inspiration throughout his young life and when he reached the age of majority, he formally adopted the Hansom family and name. His formal education began at Sir James Douglas Elementary School on Victoria Drive. Following High School Graduation 12 years later he worked in the shipbuilding industry on Vancouver’s Harbourfront.

It was during this time he began volunteering and was introduced to community service and the then Boys Clubs of Vancouver. It was the beginning of what was to become a lifelong commitment to service to others . World War II entered his life and he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy, spending two years based out of Halifax as an Able Seaman on RCN Corvettes deploying depth charges across the North Atlantic where German submarines were targeting Canadian supply and troopships travelling from Halifax to England. He was honorably discharged at War’s end and returned to Vancouver to continue his Boys Club career which led to a four-year Boys Clubs of Canada scholarship at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Following his graduation from Indiana U. with a BSc. Degree in Recreation in the spring of 1953 he rejoined the staff of the Vancouver Boys Clubs as a Waterfront Director/Swimming Instructor at Camp Potlatch, Boys Clubs magnificent Summer Camp located in the Northern reaches of Howe Sound.

Ken’s career with Boys Clubs and Girls Clubs of Vancouver is unprecedented. For over 35 consecutive years he filled and served in many roles with distinction though Camp Potlatch and Outdoor Education were never far from his heart. When he retired in 1988, he volunteered to serve one day a week supporting staff hired to replace him in his closing role as Manager of Facility Operations. On completion of this volunteer role his association with Boys Club & Girls Clubs spanned over sixty years.

It was in the early 1960s Ken received a letter that changed his life forever and dispelled his long-held belief he was destined to die never knowing his family of origin. That letter from the B.C. Ministry of Families advised Adoption Services had received a request from a woman who believed she was his biological sister. Providing her with his contact information required his consent. He granted it with what he described as high hopes but cautious optimism. That permission became a turning point in Ken’s life and within weeks sister Margaret Cantwell’s relationship with her biological brother Ken was confirmed and he spent the rest of his life sharing family stories, travel, and caring support with his sister along with nephew Bob Cantwell, niece Roslyn Paavilainen and their extended families. He often said it brought him the sense of belonging and family he so needed and had sought throughout his life.

Ken was a man of many interests and talents. He was an active member of the South Vancouver YMCA, for 35 years and loved the camaraderie of hunting, fishing, X-Country skiing, and camping with friends. He established several Foundations and Trusts benefitting Animal welfare and Environmental Protection initiatives along with the Paul Henderson Fellowship at Langara College aimed at assisting Boys and Girls Club members engaged in Recreation studies at Langara; a fund which offers financial assistance to Boys and Girls Club members pursuing a career in Recreation.

He was proud owner of his Whistler Chalet on Needles Drive which he shared freely with friends and families in his life, welcoming their friendships, support and occasional carpentry, plumbing and electrical skills in return for free lodging, skiing and fellowship. To this day many participants recall Ken’s commitment to a management doctrine learned at an Indiana University Business course lecture. “Your task will be to Organize, Deputize and Supervise.” Not only did he do it well. His network of friends multiplied and sought his company throughout his life.

Markam the poet might have had Ken in mind when he penned these words many years ago.

There is a destiny which makes us brothers

None goes his way alone,

That which we send into the lives of others

Comes back into our own.

A gathering in Ken’s honour will be held at the Fraserview Boys & Girls Club in the near future, subject to Covid-19 restrictions.