E. Kenneth Kluge

Evine Kenneth Kluge was born April 4, 1925, in Cathlamet, Wash., and moved to Portland in 1926. He graduated from Commerce High School and served in the Coast Guard Reserves. He worked for Safeway Stores for 42 years, retiring as an auditor. In 1972, he married Irene Fitzpatrick Urbick.

Survivor include his wife; daughter, Linda J.; son, E. Alan; stepsons, Doug Urbick and Jim Urbick; sister, Ardyce; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Remembrances to Shriners Hospital for Children.

At his service, Ken's son Alan delivered the following message:

During the half hour before dad passed away, Irene had briefly stepped out of the room. I went up to the head of the bed and put my hand on Dad’s shoulder. I told him that I admired him for serving as such a good role model as a father, and as a fantastic grandfather, one that I hoped I could live up to. I told him how much I enjoyed all the time we had spent together --- at family dinners, going on cruises, and taking our annual trip to the beach. It was these times that we were truly family, and the times that added to all our lives. I told him I hoped to be able to do for my children the same he has done for us. It was the time we spent together that was some of the best time of our lives.

I then went to the other side of the bed and for the first time in several days he opened his eyes wide. He moved his gaze from center to the side to look at me. A single tear flowed from the corner of his eye, signifying to me that he had heard everything I had said. He then turned his gaze to Irene on the other side.

Since last Thursday I have thought of the lessons Dad taught me, the lessons I want to pass along to my daughters. Many have come to mind.

Lesson 1. If you don’t do it, who will? Dad was the type of person that would step up when things needed to be done. When it came time to create the Safeway Credit Union he was willing to volunteer untold hours of his time to provide something that would benefit many. Similarly, when we were in YMCA Indian Guides Dad volunteered to be the chief cook for over 100 fathers and sons out at Camp Collins, and every year at the annual campout we ate very well. Dad was always very generous in taking on roles in organizations to serve others.

Lesson 2. Be active in your children’s lives. Linda and I have many memories of Ken as a loving father. Linda remembers the time when he was in the stands at the community parks and rec dance recital. She was a dancing poodle. She remembers him waving his white handkerchief so she would be sure to see him when she was dancing. I remember Dad’s weekends at Oregon State when he would come for the day, go to the basketball game with me, and take me to Safeway to shop to fill my dorm room closet with food. During the gas shortage I would also remember him using his authorization card to drive by the red flag and fill my tank up with gas.

Lesson 3. Truly appreciate what others do for you, don’t take it for granted. People that did things for Dad were not quickly forgotten. When Dad realized he could no longer physically fill the role as an in-store auditor, he let his boss Ralph McKenzie know fully expecting that to be the end of his career at Safeway. Not only was Ralph able to create a position for him in the office, but he went out and tracked Dad down in the store to let him know. Dad always appreciated what Ralph, and others, had done for him in his life and he never forgot them.

Lesson 4. Work and the ability to support yourself are important. Dad provided opportunities early for us to learn the value of work. We spent many hours every quarter folding and stuffing statements at the credit union, or taking twenty years of statements and putting them in numerical order. I learned early the ability to earn money. One thing I also reminded Dad of was the time the load of bark dust arrived on Halloween and he would not let us go trick-or-treating until it was all spread. It was well after dark before we finished. I guess I’m finally ready to let go of that one.

Lesson 5. Never complain about your own pain, always be concerned about others. Dad was probably in some type of physical pain most every day of his life, and yet he seldom if ever complained. Dad was the type of person that when somebody really needed something, he was always there to help and he usually knew what to do. His own pain never stopped him from doing for others.

Lesson 6. Be generous with others and stingy with yourself. Christmas was Dad’s favorite day of the year. It is good knowing he was able to celebrate this Christmas in heaven. He looked forward to making the stack of presents bigger every year. He was extremely generous but refused to spend money on himself. Some of his greatest joy came from making others happy.

Lesson 7. Invest in spending time with family. Some of our best memories with Dad will be the annual trip we made to Lincoln City, and the cruises we went on together both before and after grandkids. Spending quality time with parents is something that few of my friends do, something many of them are jealous of. If there is one lesson that Dad could teach us all, it is to find quality time to spend together as an extended family.