Ken, 70, of Prairie City, Oregon, died of multiple sclerosis
October 19, 2012. He attended school in Mt. Vernon, graduating in 1960. Ken served in the U.S. Army and went to Vietnam for two years, from March 3, 1967 to March 21, 1969.

After returning, he attended Merritt Davis School of Commerce in 1973 to study drafting technology; Portland Community College in 1974, to study Lotus Spreadsheet, and Oregon State University in 1977, where he earned a bachelor's degree in construction engineer management.

He worked for Roadway Construction from 1974-1986, West Coast Railroad Construction from 1987-1989, and Western Paving Company from 1990-1994. He worked for Morse Brothers, later bought by Knife River, where he worked until his retirement. He jumped at North Cascades during the 1965 season.