March 6, 1947 to May 9, 2024
Ken described himself as a waif from the 1950’s north end, one that did not do well in school due to undiagnosed ADHD. His family life was difficult.
His siblings left as soon as they could. A skinny guy but tough, he was bullied, fought back and was held back a year in grade four because of it. He said he was not on a good path and his life might have been very different than it turned out.
He loved to tell of the good luck that he got in with the right crowd by chasing a girl at Teen Dance Party when he was sixteen. He was recruited to the Pepsi Pack Dance Group that he said “pulled me up by my bootstraps” with the group touring and performing at different community centers under the gentle but firm guidance of Bob Burns. Ken was coincidentally approached by Ken Mathews Dance School to get free dance lessons and competed on a ballroom floor. Music from the fifties and sixties was always playing in the Lamoureux household and in the car, occasionally supplanted by more contemporary stuff (Fleetwood Mac, Moody Blues, Adele and even Disturbed who did his favorite version of the Sounds of Silence) and a little classical.
Those three years dancing with the Pepsi Pack changed the trajectory of his life, Ken said. After he dropped out of school he went to Red River College and discovered subjects that were interesting, that challenged him (like System Analysis Design). Ten years of night school while working for Clarks Shoes, MPI, MGEU and then his big break – a job at Great-West Life, one of few hired to his area without a university degree. Not having that degree was something that haunted him and was at the root of his pursuit of life-long learning that earned him multiple certifications and designations. Ken was damn smart. It was the public school system that let him down.
When speaking of his accomplishments, he was proud of his work at Great-West Life (Info Place, the Clone Program), hiring decisions (especially Dave J); his years at Manitoba Lotteries where he rapidly became CIO and made major contributions to the growth and development of the Corporation. He had so much fun doing so. Following Lotteries, he pursued contract work and then, after seven more years with government came retirement and the opportunity to join Cambrian Credit Union’s governing board. He was soon elected chair of the board, a role he held for seven years. When his health began to fail, resigning from the Cambrian Board was the hardest thing he had to do. He wept as he dictated the email from his hospital bed. But for Ken, it was always about the best interests of the Corporation. He also expressed disappointment at having to resign from the Public Prosecutions Branch Departmental Advisory Committee both because of the learning but also because he felt he was making a solid contribution.
Ken believed strongly that community service is important – and he thrived in volunteer roles at United Way of Winnipeg in both Campaign and in Allocations. That’s where he met Linda. Animated debates with her held fond memories. He had to leave United Way’s volunteer cadre because some thought the relationship with Linda was a conflict of interest. It probably was. Recruited by the amazing Marvelle M, he then dedicated his energies to about 19 years of voluntarism at St. Boniface Hospital, first with the Patient Services Committee and then on the Board.
From his perspective, his greatest accomplishment was breaking the negativity he experienced with his birth family and fathering two very different boys, both of whom attended university, fulfilling their Dad’s dream. He is so proud of the men he helped shape, good men who are there for others. And Ken was always there for them, cheering them on – present and cheering at the swimming lessons, baseball, soccer and football practices, school events and music performances; practicing and playing with the boys in the back field, advising, supporting and learning how to express the depth of his love.
Family was everything. And all he did to build our family was done despite forty years of pain with multiple chronic and acute health conditions. The basement was renovated many times to reflect changing family needs as were virtually all the rooms in the house at 19 Tralee where the family flourished. He made his dreams of a sanctuary in the backyard real with back-breaking labour. The years in and around the pool (with wine, music and a cigar), sitting by the fire, BBQ’ing by the fountain and the pond, amongst the greenery…those were magical. Peaceful. Labours of love with and for Linda.
With conferences and meetings in his schedule, Ken took advantage of opportunities to take Jonathan to Las Vegas for his 13th birthday year…and did the same with Daniel in his 13th year. While considered by Linda to be a little weird, they were special father/son bonding trips. And then there were many family trips, the most special one in Maui in 2014 which fulfilled a promise to the boys for one warm winter family vacation. And it will be Maui again one day when he, Linda and Scooter will swim with the whales.
Ken learned of his Indigenous roots later in life which he said helped him better understand his birth family experiences. He took great pride in his Manitoba Metis history as well as a genealogy rooting back to Jean Baptiste Lagimodiere and Marie Anne Gaboury as well as the very extensive Lamoureux family.
We can’t forget to honor Ken’s love of our family pets, especially Toby, Shadow and Patches who have all crossed the Rainbow Bridge and Scooter who for the past year has done all he could to heal Ken with licks and cuddles. Scooter is now comforting Linda.
Ken was pre-deceased by his beloved mother Bertha (Van Raes) Lamoureux and father Edouard Lamoureux, sisters Estelle Faryon (who tried to be mother to her baby brother), Lucille Schneider and Diane Tait (who insisted on going first, wagging her finger at him), brother Ed (Sonny) Lamoureux as well as nieces and nephews. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Linda, son Jonathan and daughter-in-law Mithila, new baby granddaughter Alina (fulfilling his dream of meeting his first grandchild), son Daniel, numerous nieces, nephews and their children.
The family is deeply grateful to Cancer Care Doctors L. Yang and B. Houston; Home Care Aides especially Gutu, Abby, Julie, Chris and Joshua (as well as others) who took such good care of him. These are very special people whose work is hard. The Palliative Team coordinated by Sophie was wonderful, especially the nurses (Shawn, Sheila and others).
So many people have provided ongoing friendship, love and support for Ken and for Linda especially Linda’s sister Leslie without whom Ken could not have remained at home as long as he did. Those who paid visits lit up his day. The telephone calls, cards and messages also showed Ken that he had made a difference in the lives of others and in the organizations he worked with.
In lieu of flowers, you are invited to plant a tree or donate to a charity of your choice in Ken’s name. He would be particularly thankful for any donations to St. Boniface Hospital Foundation, Cancer Care Manitoba or the United Way of Winnipeg Tomorrow Fund.
14 thoughts on “Kenneth Keith Lamoureux”
What a lovely tribute. I wish I had gotten to know you better when we were younger, but that’s life. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to spend those last weeks with you and to have watched you face them with such dignity, courage, and humor. But you didn’t face those last weeks alone. Your wife was your constant companion, demonstrating such love, unimaginable strength and incredible devotion as I have never witnessed before. Ken, you were, and are loved, always. Because real love like that never dies.
My most sincere condoleances to all Ken’s family. I had the privilege of meeting him and his wife Linda when I was in Winnipeg last April at my daughter’s residence.
Ken will be sorely missed. Once committed he gave of himself unstintingly. He was one of the few people I have known who could be completely trusted and a man to be admired. It is now apparent how much our mutual reserve kept us from spending more time together. We both met our future spouses at the same time and place and our sons grew up at the same time but not seeing enough of each other even though we did manage to visit sometimes. Such friends do not come along often in life.
Engagement party on Elm St.
So very sorry for your loss. Ken was very fortunate to be surrounded by love in his final days.
He lived a full and successful life. I wish I had known him for more than just the one encounter so very late in his journey.
We offer our condolences to his family and friends.
Carmen and Rick Dondo
https://family.rickdondo.com/fan.php?personID=I402260203710&tree=RDFT&parentset=0&generations=6
I’m very glad that I reached out to Ken 3 of 4 years ago to reconnect. We had known each other from our Days at Machray Sshool in the mid 1950’s to our teen years at Teen Dance Party as well as the many Community Centre Dances that we were all invited to and in our early 20’s spending some weekends at the Beach. I am indebted to Linda for reaching out to me as I was able to visit Ken a few times before he passed. Ken you will be sadly missed. Your friend for 8 Decades Alan Freedman
I’ve known Ken for the past 8 years, as a fellow board member and colleague. I consider myself very fortunate to have worked beside him, to experience his commitment to Cambrian and to learn from him. Ken truly was a continuous learner, as we all should be in this world we live in, but given his early year’s life experience, he was ahead of the curve. Ken was one of a kind. His commitment to Cambrian was unwavering, right to the end. I’m so happy I had the opportunity to visit on two occasions and visit with Linda and Ken, and to see Scooter be his healer. Rest in peace Ken. Condolences to you Linda and the family.
On behalf of the employees of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, I offer my deepest condolences to Ken’s family and friends, particularly his wife and boys of whom he often spoke. Despite his short time on our external advisory audit committee, Ken won our respect, friendship and admiration. He was indeed someone’s whose advice I and others sought out and were grateful for. More than that, we learned to appreciate Ken’s sense of humour, love of life and keen interest in our work.
Kathleen Roussel, Director of Public Prosecutions and Deputy Attorney General of Canada
My condolences to Ken’s family and friends. I worked with Ken at Great-West Life in the late 70’s specifically on the American Dental Association project. After almost 50 years I still remember what a pleasure it was to work with Ken.
Linda, please accept my condolences on your deep loss. Although I never had the privilege of knowing Ken, I remember your stories of travelling with him and your travel plans when you retired. I am glad your family had one last trip together to hold in your hearts.
What an absolutely beautiful story of what sounds like a wonderful man. I have no connection here just as a fellow Metis citizen was drawn to the obituary because of the name. May he RIP. My sincerest condolences to all family and friends.
Prayers and peace to Linda and Jonathan and Daniel. Ken was an amazing man as witnessed by this testimony. I am blessed to call him friend. He blessed my life early on by choosing to hire me at GWL. I am forever grateful for his belief in me. It started my professional trajectory in ways I never even imagined. The blessing continued many years later when Ken and I reconnected via his passion for Board work and my work with our mutual friend, Scott Baldwin, and our company DirectorPrep.
This testimony to his awesome life taught me more about Ken. Thank you for the details. It helps me appreciate Ken even more than I already do. He definitely overcame a challenging early life and I would never have even guessed it given his kindness and professionalism as well as his heart for mentoring.
Ken is already greatly missed. Thank you Linda for your incredible support and love to Ken and all who loved him during this difficult journey. Blessing to you!
So sorry to hear this news. Condolences to Ken’s family. I only knew Ken in professional life. I always enjoyed my interactions with Ken. He was always an open and friendly
person in the IT community. A true gentleman.