Obituary of Kenneth Henning Person

Kenneth Henning Person was born in Nipawin, Saskatchewan on September 5, 1958 to Cecil and Lena Person.  It was a beautiful fall afternoon and he arrived in a big hurry not even waiting for the doctor.  His older siblings Judy, Randy and Sandra were so excited.  Little did he know at the time he would become a big brother to Calvin, Zelda, Lyndon, Theresa and Jamey.

Ken was a “go-getter” and determined to be independent right from the start.  Mom recalls a Christmas when he was only 15 months old – she had bought him some moccasins with little pom-poms and he would grab at them and say “No like, No like”.   Another time they were outside and before they knew it he had crawled under the car.  Even as an adult – he never could sit still for long – always doing something!

Ken started his first year of education at the Murphy Creek School – 2 ½ miles from the farm.  Sometimes he would walk with his brother and sisters and once in a while Dad would drive them.  After that he rode the bus to Gronlid School and spent many years teasing and joking with the bus drivers, teachers and friends. 

When Ken was only 15 years old he worked for Bert Schultz doing autobody work.  With his first paycheck, he bought Mom a nice big bowl that she still has.  After that, Ken worked with his brother Randy, first at Bainbridge doing bush work and then in Alberta painting grain elevators.  It was during this time that he met Sherry Barks and in 1975 they were married.  On April 20, 1977 (3 months early) Sheldon was born weighing only 2 pounds.  He was a survivor and now has 3 children of his own.  Ken worked in Prince Albert for a short while and in 1980 he married Delphine Morrissey.  From this union, Quinn was born on September 10, 1984, and Chance on July 8, 1985.

From 1997 – 2008, Ken moved to the farm and once again worked with his brother Randy in the logging and gravel business.  After that he went to work for Rick and Karen Norrish in the logging business and became very good friends with them.  He then worked with Randy and Allan Parnisky for Kerrobert Sand & Gravel until October 2017. Shortly thereafter, he was diagnosed with cancer.   Even though Ken was suffering he always took time to be with his family – even visiting his brother Randy in Kerrobert the week before his death.  Ken took pride in his work and enjoyed the people he worked with.

 Ken loved the outdoors and being close to nature.  He spent many hours quadding, snowmobiling, fishing, hunting and gardening.  He also liked to spend time with 2 special dogs - first Harold and then Ben. He would get down on the floor and play and laugh with the kids – sometimes we didn’t know which one was the kid.  His passion for cooking was apparent as Mom and him made many Sunday meals together; his cabbage rolls were awesome!  He also liked to bake “goodies”.

Ken fought a courageous battle with cancer for 3 ½ months.  He passed away peacefully on March 31, 2018 with his family by his side.  He was predeceased by his father Cecil, his baby brother Lyndon and his grandparents. 

He leaves to treasure his memory: his son Sheldon (Trish) & grandchildren Damian, Sharon, Emily;  his son Quin & grandchildren Maria, Paul, Alicia; his son Chance & grandchildren Griffin & Maddox;  and his special daughters Pamela, Tiffany, and Kimberly; his Mom Lena (Klaus), siblings Judy, Randy (Karen), Sandra (Ray), Calvin (Susan), Zelda (Dave), Theresa (Curtis) and Jamey (Angelynne); as well as numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins.