Kenneth David “Ken” Magnes passed away peacefully at Queen Victoria Hospital, Revelstoke on Sunday, March 6th, 2016 at the age of 83 years.
Ken was born in Lockwood, Saskatchewan on February 7, 1933 and came to Revelstoke in 1968 to initially work for Fruit Grower’s Mutual. Shortly after, with Ken’s entrepreneurial spirit and savvy business sense, he opened Ken Magnes Agency, holding the highest standing as a Fellow of Insurance Institute of Canada.
Ken was always an active community champion in Revelstoke with roles including; former Chairman of the Board of Queen Victoria Hospital, Chairman of the Board for the United Church, member of Community Futures and Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce, and sat on the Board of BC Hydro. Of the many community initiatives Ken worked tirelessly to support, two in particular were especially dear to his heart.
As a founding member and Chairman of the Downtown Revitalization Committee, he helped with efforts to beautify the downtown and added the crown jewel of Grizzly Plaza. Ken was also the founding member and Chairman of the Revelstoke Heritage Railway Museum, pairing well with his lifelong passion for trains. In Ken’s younger years while living in Saskatchewan, he was a telegrapher for CP Rail. As a special tribute, the telegrapher featured in the Railway Museum was modelled in the likeness of Ken, commemorating his earliest profession and his love of Revelstoke. Ken always had a desire to give to the community for the benefit of all and wanted everything “tickety-boo.” In 1992, Ken was the recipient of the Revelstoke Lions Club Citizen of the Year Award.
Ken treasured looking at his beloved Mt. Begbie, growing raspberries, golfing, skiing – both downhill and cross country, curling, and reading. Ken especially loved history and politics and truly enjoyed a lively discussion of political events. Ken most of all cherished his time with his family and his many friends. Especially memorable were the motorhome trips when Ken’s family was young.
Ken was predeceased by six siblings: Helen, Amy, Harold, Gordon, Alice and Marj. He is survived by his wife Kay of Revelstoke; three children: Charlene Magnes of Calgary, Brad (Wendy) Magnes of Victoria and Sheldon (Tami) Magnes of Edmonton; three grandchildren: Pyper of Victoria, Denon and Garan of Edmonton; brother Raymond (Alice) Magnes of Edmonton, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Messages of sympathy may be sent to Ken’s family by viewing his obituary at
www.brandonbowersfuneralhome.com.
A Memorial Service will be held at the Revelstoke United Church on Saturday, May 7th, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. Cremation arrangements are in the care of Brandon Bowers Funeral Home, Revelstoke. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Revelstoke Community Foundation, Box 2398, Revelstoke, B.C. V0E 2S0 or to the Alzheimer Society of B.C., 300 – 828 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 1E2, in memory of Ken.