Kenneth Lee Larsen

Ken Larsen was a son, brother, uncle, friend and an excellent writer with a delightful wit. He passed away December 5, 2024 after a short illness at the Misericordia Hospital in Edmonton. The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses for their compassion, empathy and all of their efforts to help Ken in his final moments.

Born in Calgary, AB in 1966, Ken joined his mom (Merle), dad (Rod) and brother (Chris). Later on, his brother Roy joined the family. Despite being born in Calgary, he was a very proud Edmontonian. He graduated from NAIT and Ross Sheppard High School.

Ken’s life was largely surrounded by music. From a love of music through his early years to working with several bands in the Edmonton area including Jr Gone Wild, Deadbeat Backbone and Greyhound Tragedy amongst others. He loved the Edmonton music scene and was always proud and supportive of it. There was very little he loved more than this. Prior to his death he had arranged a new gig that he was very proud of. The family sends its sincere gratitude and thanks to Jr Gone Wild for performing on his behalf.

He loved his family history from Norway from fishing to efforts in World War II. He appreciated the many family trips to BC and visiting with all of the relatives, including all the stories. He loved his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins from British Columbia and their history, accomplishments and shared moments. He also loved the day to day in Edmonton with his immediate family and close friends. This even included road hockey with uneven pavement that caused multiple bruises and laughs……even as the little kids became big.

The family history and shared memories were incredibly important to Ken and he honoured them until his final moments. He enabled his dad to have a better quality of life in his later years and helped Chris during his last years of illness. He was always willing to help Roy out too….especially if it meant looking after their beagle Kato, who was his pal. Ken’s ability to put others before himself was truly admirable, no matter what he was going through.

He shared good times and bad with a quick wit and supportive message. He easily made friends wherever he met people, respected them for who they were and what they loved and shared. Ken travelled extensively across Canada with his work and had friends in nearly every province.

Ken shared the family love of sports with hockey, baseball, golf, football and horse racing. He was a huge fan of the Baltimore Orioles, Edmonton Oilers and Seattle Seahawks. He also loved reading a variety of topics, such as history, music, mythology, sports, politics, Haida artwork, etc. This made him very tough to beat in any trivia game.

Also, the family dogs over the years were a great source of comfort and joy for him. Most recently, he learned how to become a brother in law to Joni and an uncle to Kaeli. He loved all those visits, sharing family history and meeting the expanded family from Joni’s side.

Ken is gone far too soon. He is pre-deceased by his mom, dad and brother Chris. He passed away at 58 years old, same as Chris. While he has departed, Ken would not want us to be sad for long but to do something positive with those emotions. Whether that be sharing music, sports, good times, a tasty beverage or a joke. He truly believed in a collective experience and would have a wry smile with a dark joke about these circumstances.

His body has been cremated and will be spread in the same area as his parents and brother on Bowen Island BC, an important family place. He is survived by his brother (Roy), sister in law (Joni), niece (Kaeli), uncle (Gerry) and cousins (Louise, Bruce, Natalie and Mike). The family is very thankful to his friends for their support during this difficult time and for sharing their own memories of Ken.

Again, Ken was a writer and for writers and all of us sometimes the story doesn’t end. It continues through our stories and memories. Please celebrate his life in your own way, be kind to others, share a joke and help people along the way.