Following an accident at his home in Creston, Kenneth William Fedak passed away peacefully in Kelowna on July 24, 2018, surrounded by his family.
Ken spent his early years in Glenella, MB. He learned to skate on the outdoor rink there, and soon became the goalie for their hockey team. That skill gave him much fun and not a few bruises over the years, as he tended goal in the Inco (now Vale) shift league many times once he’d discovered mining in Thompson MB in 1969.
Ken worked in mining most of his adult life. The work interested him, and he enjoyed and cared about the good people who make the mining family. After working underground for years, Ken convinced Inco to sponsor him as a co-op student. With study and perseverance, he turned his GED into a diploma in Mine Technology in 1984.
Education opened new doors for him. Ken worked in engineering for a while before taking on supervisory roles in Inco’s underground operations at the Birchtree mine. He retired as Section Coordinator there after 32 years of service.
Ken and Alta retired to Creston, but he wasn’t done with minerals yet. Work with contractors and mining companies led to time with a diamond mine, then back to nickel again, then tungsten, gold, and finally to silver. Ken was a mine manager for Alexco Resources in the Yukon where he was busy planning for the next project at the time of his death
Ken was a confident capable man who thrived on hard work and was always searching for something new to do. He could fix just about anything, using his creativity, patience and whatever could be found to get that car, computer or whatever it was working as it should again. He was always trying to make things better, at work and at home. If that meant he’d have to learn to skim coat a ceiling, well, he’d do that, and wouldn’t be satisfied until that ceiling was perfectly smooth. Ken set a high standard for himself so that those around him couldn’t help but try a little harder too.
Ken was a kind father who supported his children’s curiosity and ability to solve problems and to do the things they wanted to do. The cabin at Setting Lake gave him a chance to make adventures with them: a rink shovelled out on lake ice every winter, a real log cabin play house to construct together, swimming on a wilderness beach or camping on an island. And yes, of course, snowmen at the cabin do need bunny ears.
Ken will be deeply missed by his wife of 45 years Alta (Belcher),,son Christopher(Amina Stemmler) of Seattle, WA, daughters Shari (Matthew Falk) of Baltimore MD, and Erin of Whitehorse YT.
He is survived by his brothers Donald (Doreen) of Neepawa MB, Gerald, Dennis and David of Edmonton AB, and sisters Caroline (Larry) Harding and Denise (Ron) Peterson, sister-in-law Louise and brother-in-law Ken Quinn of Neepawa, nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews who cared about him greatly too.
Ken was predeceased by his parents James and Catherine (Puhach), brothers Jimmy, Barry and Carey, sister Lorraine Guinn and sister-in-law Kelly.
Ken will be remembered by his coworkers, family and friends as that solid guy who didn’t ask for help unless he really needed it, who had your back when you were the one inneedof that, and who had a way of gently filling a room or a workplace with laughter.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you find a little extra laughter to lighten someone’s day.
favorite_border Donations Pledges
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Kenneth William Fedak January 16 1952 July 24 2018 (age 66).source
Décès pour la Ville: Creston, Province: Colombie britanique
