There are no words to describe the loss and grief felt by Ken’s wife Laurie and her family Niki, Colin, Gavin, Ryan and Nathan (Sarah) and Henry, his brother Brad (Elaine) niece Shania, nephews Sheldon and Shayne, step-daughter Tracy (Christian), Taylor and Connor and many friends. Predeceased by his Dad Chuck, Mom Marie and Sister Karen.
Ken grew up in Coquitlam in a house built by his Dad across from Blue Mountain Park. Fondest childhood memories he often spoke about of learning to swim, hanging with the neighborhood kids, playing Little League, soccer, skating at the rink, and taking the bus by himself to New Westminster at that age of 10 to see the Beatles movie which made him a lifelong fan of everything Beatles. The family moved to the Island and ran a gas station on Pat Bay with the family living in the small apartment behind it. The gas station was a social hub of the town. The family instilled a love of travelling taking the family across Canada by train to see Expo 67 then on to New York City and to Nova Scotia. Ken attended high school at Claremont High and continued his love of music by attending live music events around town and got his first gig as a lighting tech with a local band in Victoria. He moved back over to the mainland and lived many years in New Westminster and spent many happy years working and enjoying life and live music with his friends who he has remained close ties with to this day. By chance he met his best friend,Doni (Trish), the new bass player for Trooper, just as he had moved out West and this led to Ken working as road crew for the band and continued on when he left to form Trama which still plays locally to this day.
Ken got the nickname “Tomahawk” and it stuck. Ken took countless photos which he painstakingly put in albums, back in the day when you had to get film developed. When cameras went digital, Ken continued his love of photography which became a passion and a lens to a life well-lived. Motorcycle trips to the States, Western provinces and the island provided beautiful photos which he shared with his friends, whether it was a remote gas station in a small town, local events, a river, ocean, pond or waterfall, flower, buffalo, eagles, birds or nature, or the crows and squirrels feeding on the deck ( as he fed them every day) - everyone’s day was brightened by a photo shared by Ken.
After returning to the island, Ken worked many years up until retirement a few years ago, with a local rental company which Ken enjoyed for being able to be out on the road and although it was hard physical work, Ken made each day special with the camaraderie he enjoyed with his coworkers. He would go and visit them for coffee break after retirement. Ken loved conversations with people to learn more about them and he loved talking with local tourists letting them know the best places to see when in Victoria and on the island. He loved nostalgia whether sharing memories with people about events from by gone eras or finding an old record album at the thrift store from any music genre bringing home and enjoying the tunes brought him so much joy. Ken remembered every actor, old movie star, band or musician old and new so he was like a walking Rolling Stone magazine. He would have been a great talk show host as he was so genuinely interested in their story and bringing out the best in everyone. Ken will be greatly missed by his family and friends. He was a one of kind amazing man with a heart of gold, great sense of humour, and always one step ahead of us all no matter what he did.
An immense amount of gratitude for the care and compassion he received from Dr. Bob Farmer, Dr Ryan Liebscher, home care nurses, Heather, Karen and Nemat and the palliative care team at Saanich Peninsula Hospital and we know you share our loss as you got to know Ken.
In memory of Ken, take a walk outdoors and enjoy the simplest examples of nature, enjoy a White Spot legendary, call a friend, or attend a live music event to support a local musician. A private memorial service will be held in January due to COVID restrictions and another event planned later on the Mainland once BC roads are open and travel is safe.
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