Obituary of Ken Midbo
KENNETH ROGER MIDBO
April 15, 1930 – August 25, 2021
Ken was born April 15, 1930, on the family farm near Daysland, Alberta. His father, Knut Midbo, emigrated in 1894 from Telemark, Norway, with his brothers and sisters and parents Olav and Åsne. His mother, Svea Olofsson, was born in Alberta; her parents Oskar and Anna emigrated in 1904 from Ångermanland, Sweden.
Ken was baptized and confirmed at Scandinavia Lutheran Church by Pastor Jacob Stolee. He attended Camrose Lutheran College for three years and sang in the college choir. Ken was a longtime member of Golden Valley Lutheran Church in Viking, Alberta and in later years attended services at Messiah Lutheran Church in Camrose.
Ken married Marion (Myrehaug) on July 12, 1958, at Trinity Lutheran Church near Lougheed, Alberta. He’d worked for several years for Atlas Lumber Company and by 1956 was manager of the Lougheed store. Ken and Marion eventually settled in Viking, where Ken managed the Revelstoke business for nearly 30 years, followed by the Home Hardware business until 1996.
Ken contributed to church and community through work on church and town councils, singing in choirs, attending and participating in church and community events, and in later years, delivering meals and working with others to maintain church buildings and properties. He maintained a keen interest in local, provincial and federal politics, and enjoyed observing and studying the unfolding of world history.
When his mother returned the Midbo family land near Daysland to Ken and his brothers and sisters, Ken and brother Gordon teamed up to raise cattle and grow grain on their combined two quarter sections for nearly 20 years. Ken also replaced the original Midbo family home, which had been destroyed by fire; the new home became a family meeting place, with Ken and Marion hosting and entertaining their grandchildren, children, extended family and friends.
Over the years, Ken and Marion enjoyed many trips to Norway and Sweden, visiting with relatives and returning to ancestral homes and regions. Their travels took them to Moscow, where Ken met Mikhail Gorbachev, an event he recalled even as Alzheimer’s symptoms reduced his working memory during the last years of his life.
Ken is survived by his wife Marion, son Kevin, daughter Kathy and her husband Gordon Sellin, daughter Tracey and her husband David Thompson, grandsons Zachary Lepak and Orran Lepak, granddaughters Rae-Lee Sellin and Julie Sellin, brother Gordon Midbo and close cousin Eileen Cramton.
Due to Covid19 concerns a private funeral will be held within the coming days. Memorial donations are gratefully accepted to The Bethany Group Foundation in support of chaplaincy, education on seniors’ care, and to fund improvements to resident care (www.thebethanygroup.ca/donate).
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Ken
Midbo 1930 2021..
Death notice for the town of: CAMROSE, Province: Alberta