Passed away March 19, 2009
He was born in Sedan, Union County, New Mexico on September 14, 1924.
As a young boy, in his hometown, Ken would hunt & catch rattlesnakes with his brother, for fun. He became a journeyman carpenter in his later teens, & later became an exceptional finishing carpenter. He married in 1942 & his first child was born in 1944. He served in the US Navy from 1943-1945. When the war ended, he returned home, worked in Nevada for a while, then moved to Washington State. He remarried in 1952 and had 7 more children. He worked as a logger & ran Smith Bro. Sawmill with his father and brother, on his property in Sedro-Woolley. Later, in 1969, he moved his family to a ranch at Tatalrose, B.C., which he named “Loma Linda Ranch” (Spanish name for “pretty hills”). He enjoyed reading, fishing, hunting, telling stories and caring for his animals. Ken would never be seen without his Stetson. His greatestH love was his family, his buffalo, his dog, Echo & his ranch, where he spent his remaining years. Ken was predeceased by his father, Leroy, his mother, Nellie Louise, his son-in-law, Michael, & his great grandson, Parker. He is survived by his brother, Dorwin Smith & sisters, Ilene Leander & Marylynn Cartwright. He is also survived by his 8 children: Kenneth L. Smith Jr. (Toni), Karen L. Baker, Linda D. Smith (Patrick), Barbara J. Smith (John), Diana L. Roberts (Ron), Debby K. Mould (Marty) , Richard R. Smith (Leslie) & Donna K. Smith-Bradley (Allan);
His 23 grandchildren: Cherise, Tammie, Brandie, Glenn, Brent, Jeanette, Denver, Jodie, Elizabeth, Randi, Stephanie, Melissa, Renata, Dax, Danielle, Scott, Rick, Cherie, Ciara, Sean, Brian, David, Nichelle,
And his 25 great grandchildren
Ken was a brave man, with strong values, convictions and constitution. He will be sadly missed.
A memorial service will be held on May 2, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. at the Grassy Plains Hall.