Kenneth Paul Graves
1954-2020
On Friday, April 24, Kenneth Paul Graves, 65, Waterville,
passed away at home, his beloved wife Shannon by his side. Born May 1,
1954, he was the eldest son of Esther (Vickers) Graves and the late
Jack Graves. Ken (« Kenny » to those closest to him)
lived and grew up in Kentville. He attended Central Kings High School,
where he enjoyed hanging out with his friends, playing on the soccer
team and sometimes even showing up for class! During his childhood, he
stayed with his grandparents in Cape Breton for much of each summer
vacation, spending many happy hours exploring, hiking, and fishing
with his grandfather and uncles. He always spoke fondly of those
times, so in 2018, he and Shannon revisited many of those spots while
on a camping trip around the Cabot Trail, loving every minute of it!
One of his most memorable adventures took place when he was still a
teenager, during the summer of 1970, when he and a few friends decided
to hitchhike across Canada. Needless to say, when he got back he had
plenty to talk about, especially when asked the familiar question
« What did you do over summer vacation? » A few years
later Kenny met his wife, Shannon, and the rest, as they say, is
history. Their marriage lasted more than 46 years, during which time
he made it his purpose in life to always protect and take care of her,
all the while loving her unconditionally. They had a special bond and
their relationship was one of true commitment, teamwork, and
dedication. Early in his married life, Kenny worked at Hostess Foods
as an extruder operator. He also worked for several years at the Kings
Regional Rehabilitation Centre in Waterville, where he was known for
his patient, calm, compassionate, and gentle ways while caring for the
clients. Always one who believed in learning new skills, Kenny took
time to go back to school to learn the carpentry trade, working in
that field for a few years both with Roscoe Construction and Viking
Ventures. His last job was working locally for two security companies,
Ennis and Paladin. Kenny had an amazing strength of character. He was
the strong one, always putting others’ needs before his own.
He was a genuinely generous person who gave his loved ones some small
gift nearly every time he saw them, even at times when he had very
little himself. There was not a selfish bone in his body. His
incredible sense of loyalty and commitment made his family feel
supported through the ups and downs that came with everyday life.
Kenny was deeply devoted to family. When his children were growing up
he did his best to teach them how to be independent, and he was always
willing to help out when they needed him. He had an abundance of
patience, as well as being a good listener, and always tried to give
sound advice. He was very proud of his children’s
accomplishments in their chosen fields of work and took great pleasure
in the knowledge that they were both doing well — Matthew
most recently as a community TV producer in the Vancouver area, Samara
as a successful paralegal in Victoria. He also enjoyed spending time
with his grandchildren Sara and Truman, who were very special to him,
and he looked forward to the birth of his daughter’s first
child, Nadirah, who arrived just a few days before Kenny’s
death. Although Kenny was weak and tired by the time Nadirah was born,
when he saw an image of her his face lit up with the most beautiful
smile. Kenny’s deep interest in his family history led him
to spend many hours researching and documenting any information he
could find about his genealogy, sometimes even contacting strangers in
different parts of the world to track down or confirm connections he
had found, and he enjoyed passing that information on to other family
members. Kenny had many hobbies and interests, one of them being the
great outdoors. When his children were small, he used to take the
family on camping trips, their favourite destination being Kejimkujik
Park, where they spent many happy hours making lifelong memories. He
also enjoyed spending time with his hunting buddies, Gary and Dave,
trekking through the woods for hours searching for the « big
one, » sometimes being lucky, sometimes not. Either way, there
was never a shortage of storytelling around the fire every season. He
greatly enjoyed fishing and was looking forward to doing just that
with his friend and fishing buddy, Ib. He also loved gardening,
especially growing his own vegetables. Feeding the many birds that
flocked to his yard every year was important to him as well, and he
loved to study them while taking pictures of them in their habitat.
Kenny had a creative side, woodworking being one of his interests.
Over the years he and Shannon created many unique garden and Christmas
ornaments, which he enjoyed selling at local flea markets as well as
to Michelin for the yearly children’s parties. His latest
passion was working with metal and gemstones. As Shannon developed her
successful business as a jewellery-maker, Kenny worked alongside her,
providing invaluable knowledge as well as taking a hands-on role in
her endeavours. He became a familiar face at the Berwick Community
Market, helping Shannon set up her weekly displays (on stands that he
designed and built), all the while thoroughly enjoying the company of
the new friends he made there. In addition to being
Shannon’s biggest fan and supporter, Kenny became a skilled
jewellery designer and engraver in his own right. He especially loved
rock-hounding and enjoyed studying and learning about various
specimens, gaining a vast knowledge of them while amassing quite a
collection. In the final decade of his life, he learned how to extract
precious metals from reclaimed or found materials, and spent many
happy hours absorbed in this pursuit. It is typical of
Kenny’s character that he was always convinced that there
was a bit of gold hidden somewhere within the dross — and,
to his credit, he was usually able to find it. Besides having a
wonderful character, Kenny was a character. He had a great way with
words and always talked in stories, delighting his listeners with
colourful and witty renditions of some otherwise mundane occurrence he
had just witnessed. Ken was also very intuitive and could read people
almost immediately, a trait which served him well during his time as a
security officer. His final months at home were spent puttering in his
workshop while listening to CBC News and his favourite show, Randy
Bachman’s Vinyl Tap, while enjoying some great music. During
that time, Shannon stayed by his side, taking care of him during his
final journey. Always « Kenny » to her, he was her
best friend and the love of her life. He will be greatly missed, but
fondly remembered for the special person that he was. He is survived
by his wife, Shannon (née Nowlan), Waterville; son, Matthew
(Pam), Ladner, B.C.; daughter, Samara (Noman), Victoria, B.C.;
granddaughter, Sara; grandson, Truman; and granddaughter, Nadirah, the
newest addition to his family. He is also survived by his mother,
Esther, Kentville; brothers, Jack « Sonny » (Mira),
Ottawa; Bradford (Lorna), Kentville; Lloyd, Kentville; Eldon,
Kentville; and Kevin (Micheline), Kentville; and sister, Darlene
(Danny), Moncton. In addition to his father, Kenny was also
predeceased by his infant daughter, Jasmin. We would like to thank the
palliative-care team, VON, and the paramedics, whose support made it
possible for Shannon to care for Kenny at home. Cremation has taken
place and there will be no visitation by request. A private graveside
service will be held. A celebration of Kenny’s life will be
held at a later date. Donations in Kenny’s memory
may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society. Arrangements have been
entrusted to the White Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services,
Kentville. On-line condolences and inquiries may be directed to
www.whitefamilyfuneralhome.com.
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19542020
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Kenneth Paul Graves 19542020..
Décès pour la Ville: Kentville, Province: Nova Scotia