Kenneth Roy Mitchell

Kenneth Mitchell was born in Vancouver in 1924. One of five siblings, he grew up in the East Vancouver neighbourhood of Cedar Cottage, attended local schools and spent much of his free time exploring the then untamed environs of nearby Trout Lake.

Growing up in the late '30's and early 40's; Ken found work chopping wood at a pickle factory and at lumber mills where he first became familiar with different types of wood. When he turned eighteen, he headed down to the waterfront and landed a job as a deckhand on a tugboat. Later, he worked at making electrical components for navel vessels. In 1944, he joined the Merchant Marine and worked on oil tankers up and down the east coast and sailed with a convoy delivering goods to Great Britain. By the time Ken was twenty years old, he was a much travelled, experienced sailor and had developed a full knowledge/love of ships and shipping. At the end of the war, Ken stayed on with the Merchant Marine for thirty-six more years. He visited ports throughout Southeast Asia, Africa and South America. He worked for British American, Whitepass and Yukon and lastly, Standard Oil on the West Coast. It was during his time at sea when he began taking an interest in model boat-building using found materials and giving them to fellow shipmates. During shore leave, he built a thirty-foot cabin cruiser. When Ken retired from the sea in 1981, he designed and had built a house in the town of Langley, BC and in later years, enjoyed building model boats. The North Vancouver Arts Council recognized his artistic skill displaying his models during the summer of 2013 at the North Vancouver District Hall Gallery.

Ken moved to Harrison Point Assisted Living in Langley in October, 2013. This was a wonderful transition for him having lived independently for so many years. Harrison Point provided a safe friendly home for Ken. His needs were met and he was able to maintain a suitable level of independence. Ken passed away on February 15th at Langley Memorial Hospital.

On behalf of the family, we would like to thank the staff and the residents of Harrison for their kindness and acceptance.

Thank you,

'

Larry Mitchell (Nephew)

Darlene Chamberlain (Niece)

Arrangements under the direction of Victory Memorial Park Funeral Centre, Surrey, BC.