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78

Birthdays

15

Years teaching

47

years farming

1204

litres of ketchup consumed

 

Ken

On 18 March 1947 Dot and Len Bell welcomed their only child, Kenneth Leonard, into the world. Ken would grow up and complete his schooling in Outlook, making many friends through sport and social events. Raised with a strong work ethic and a drive to do things well, Ken worked alongside his father on the farm when he wasn't competing in his favourite sports: hockey, soccer and football, swimming, baseball, curling, and pretty much any other sport offered. In fact, he lost his front teeth tobogganing on Pancake Hill [if you know more about this story, spill it!]. 


After completing high school, Ken went on to work in the oil patch, and then at Adilman's Men's Wear in Saskatoon. He earned his Bachelor of Education degree in 1972, and taught in Saskatoon, Regina, and Eastend as an Intern before landing his first full time teaching job at Meath Park. Ken would spend the rest of his teaching career at Carlton Comprehensive High School. During these years, Ken coached multiple sport teams and played hockey, rugby, and broomball. He was an avid curler, skier, and swimmer, and could often be seen out for a run in the evenings.


In March of 1972, Ken married Judi-Lee Cosgrove, and welcomed their daughter Jillian later (but not much later!). Judi and Ken both taught in Prince Albert, where they raised Jillian and socialised with a large number of good friends. The friendships they made in those years would last the rest of their lives.

Stories

It would be impossible to talk about Ken without talking about talking. Ken loved to visit. Sometimes he pretended it was all a big bother, but he always had a few minutes to spare to catch up, to ask questions, or to offer advice. Ken had the innate ability to make friends, and this is his true legacy - the hundreds of people whose lives his touched. The Bell Clan could not travel anywhere without someone stopping them for a quick chat.


Ken has many, many, MANY friends, whose company he cherished. He appreciated your humour and wit, your compassion, and the camaraderie his friends brought to his life. If the purpose of a life is to touch other lives, Ken understood the assignment and did exceptionally well. You are his legacy. He could draw a story from a stone, and created lasting memories which touched untold people.


Although he would downplay his success, Ken was an accomplished hockey player. He was probably chasing a puck before he was chasing girls, but that would eventually come to change. He had a keen mind for sport strategy, and loved physical activity. 


Even when he was in school, he would run home at lunch to boil an egg, slurp it down, and then run back for intramurals. Ken played ball, soccer, rugby, football, broomball, badminton, racquetball, volleyball, basketball, and was an accomplished swimmer, skier, and runner. He enjoyed track and field, curling, and could even be found on the golf course. 


Ken loved stock car races. In his teen years, he drove stock cars (number 52) in and around Outlook and Conquest. The only time he really liked watching television was if there was a game on, or the Olympics. It wasn't unusual for him to pull over in the middle of an errand run to watch a few innings of a local softball game happening in a local park.


He was a long-time supporter of junior hockey, and for many years bought season tickets for the Prince Albert Raiders. He enjoyed lacrosse and was incredibly impressed by the Saskatoon Rush. 


A large part of Ken's teaching career was coaching high school sport. He coached basketball, volleyball, soccer, softball, and track, and all over the province, taking teams to regionals, provincials, nationals, and even into Las Vegas with soccer. He was a patient and intuitive leader who knew how to inspire and young people to excel. He encouraged rather than pushed, and he knew how to foster a strong team. 

Teaching

Ken was a patient and natural teacher. He believed strongly that we learn best through repetition (his brother in law could tell you about the time Ken learned to slalom waterski), and would encourage you to do a task over and over until you had it down pat. If you ever saw the three-ton grain truck in the farm yard backing up, then driving forward repeatedly, that was Ken teaching his daughter how to back up to the augur. He had an understated way about his educational style which focused on learning.


His journey as an educator started with lifeguarding and teaching swimming lessons at the pool in Outlook. He went on to earn a teaching certificate which then prompted him to go on to University, achieving his B.Ed in 1972 with a focus on physical education. But further, his education included multiple SIAST certificates (machining, woodworking, construction, electrical, and outdoor survival). Ken taught as a student teacher in Saskatoon and Regina. He completed his internship in Eastend, where he was also invited to join the local hockey team (his family would love to hear more from his teammates and students). 


Ken’s first full time contract as a teacher was at Meath Park, north of Prince Albert. There he taught physical education. He also coached basketball and football, and was an active participant in outdoor education. Ken spoke fondly of his time at Meath Park, and shared many evenings comparing notes with his good friend Don Toporowski, who was principal in Paddockwood for many years. (Ken and his family would spend many summers and winter evenings kibbutzing with the Toporowski clan, and he followed the careers and achievements of each of their boys with great interest.)


When a teaching position in Prince Albert became available, Ken was hired to teach wood shop and machining at Carlton Comprehensive High School. There he would settle in the shop with Fred Hatley, whose skill and expertise as a teacher Ken spoke of with great admiration. The friends he made through his career in education would last for the rest of his life. A group of teachers from Carlton would head up to Northern Saskatchewan for canoe and fishing trips through the connected lakes and waterways, excursions and experiences Ken would reminisce about often. Of course, sport was on the table as well, and while at Carlton, Ken coached soccer, basketball, senior girls’ volleyball, and track and field.


Beyond his formal teaching career, Ken had a subtle style of teaching; he would invite you to join him at a seminar or a workshop, and you’d do it because it was just fun to spend time with the man. By the end of the adventure, you’d have learned something, he’d have learned something, and you’d both have had a great time. He was never one to push, but excelled at inviting you to broaden your horizons and take a chance on making your brain bigger. Never content to sit idly and do nothing, Ken was a lifelong learner, always wanting to pick up some new skill or method. 


If you are one of Ken’s colleagues or a former student, please share your memories; we can never hear too much about his love of sharing knowledge. 

Ruckus

One of the things that never ceased to amaze was Ken's ability to make friends. Within minutes of being in a new place, he would know at least three people on a first name basis, what their occupation was, where they lived, who they were related to, and what they thought of the news item of the day. If he didn't already know half the people in the place that is. A quick run to the Co-op was never a quick run to the Co-op. 


He spoke highly of his friends, and very much appreciated every visit, every laugh, and every shared hardship. Ken was the first to send flowers or cards, to buy you lunch for a special day, or just to lean on the tailgate and gab (but not for long, if there was work to be done). He would be the first to offer you a beer, and loved to enjoy a warm one ("just run that under the hot water tap for a few minutes if you don't mind") with you. 


Ken was an active member of many social groups, and loved the evenings he spent in Prince Albert celebrating his Norwegian heritage making lefse and drinking rum. He claimed there was often more rum being drunk than lefse being made. He enjoyed the singles club and the Saskatchewan Suns, and as much as he knew how to work hard, he also knew how to play hard. 


He developed lifelong friendships through sport, teaching, social clubs, and his life in Outlook. If there was a dance within thirty miles, Ken was there. He had an innate sense of rhythm and loved a good beat and a quick jive. He was a beautiful dancer, and his passion for dancing was infectious. You wouldn't have known you loved dancing until Ken sent you whirling, pulling you back into his confident embrace and always, always knowing where to lead. 

Family

There have been few men who could top Ken's role as a father. He was kind, patient, loving, and fun. He wasn't a strong disciplinarian, but he set his expectations high because he knew they could be achieved. There was nothing worse in the world than knowing you'd disappointed him, not by failure, but by not doing your best, or worse, by not trying. 


Ken was more than happy to strap Jillian into the little plastic bike seat behind himself and ride to work, dropping her off at Dave and Mary Peters' along the way. He absolutely doted on his daughter, and she is absolutely his biggest fan. Every Wednesday when he picked Jillian up from the Peters', he would say "ready to go for a splash, Screwball?" and off to the pool they'd go for swimming lessons. His love of swimming rubbed off on Jillian, so much so that when they travelled, they always had to stay at a motel with a pool. 


There wasn't anything "Paddy" couldn't fix, heal, mend, or build. Ken and Jillian shared the idiosyncrasies of only children - the independence, the stubbornness, and sometimes, the loneliness. Jillian always knew she would never be truly alone. There was never a time she needed him that he wasn't there. One time Ken came home from work to find Jillian had taken apart her new bicycle. He stood in the driveway, surveying the carnage. He chuckled and raised his eyebrow and told her to come get him when she'd put it all back together. She'd been at his knee watching him work on vehicles and construction and machining, and had a confidence that bordered on hubris. She did put the bike back together, and it worked just fine. Ken, of course, watched from the living room window the whole time. 


Ken chaperoned band trips and sport events for Jillian's schools, attended drama performances, music recitals, and anything else she asked him to do. Whether they were travelling (so many ski trips) or vacationing (ask Jillian to tell you the "Griswold Family Vacation" story sometime), working on the farm, dancing, or playing cards, the bond between father and daughter could not have been stronger. Jillian is so very fortunate to have had Ken as a dad. 


It goes without saying Ken was never happier or more proud when he became a grandfather. He was present at Tavish's birth (Ken was a great birth coach!) and Eamon's first nap was in "Papa's" arms. The sun rose and set on his boys. He was so very proud of both of them, and supported everything they did. He drove hundreds of miles every year to watch hockey games, band concerts, soccer games, piano and singing recitals. There wasn't a more involved, more fun granddad. 


No one will feel his loss more profoundly. 

 

Farm

Ken returned to the farm following the untimely death of his father in 1981, and would continue to farm and substitute teach for several years. When times were lean, Ken travelled south central Saskatchewan building grain bins. 


"The farm was a lonely place", Ken would say about his return following Len's death, but he worked hard, and he didn't go it alone. He was especially grateful for the companionship, instruction, and labour of Al, Donnie, Julius, Charlie, and an ever changing cadre of young men and women looking for summer work. Ken valued the wisdom and support of neighbours like Harvey Benson, Lloyd Hermanson, and Al Knapik. 


Ken looked forward to retirement, but, like many farmers, could not separate himself from the land. He worked on the farm and around the yard until he no longer could, and the day he left, his heart broke. 


He would want everyone who worked for and with him to know how much he valued your hard work. For every hot, dusty, itchy afternoon there was a cold beer (or coke) and a sandwich waiting for you. When Judi was at the farm, living in the little camper caravan, she would cook meals for 'the men' (and one young woman), more hard work for which Ken was deeply grateful. 


There's nothing quite like sitting out in front of the big shop and watching the sun set after a hard day of work. Ken knew the value of hard work, and he knew the value of rest and reward. He also knew how to make a mean bonfire out in the drive, and spent many an evening with his grandsons and Gail, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows when the day’s toil was done.










Judi used to tease Ken about some of his quirks, like his insistence that a garbage bag is the same as a suitcase, or his attestation that a checkered sport coat was high fashion. He knew what he liked, and wasn't bothered by the 'shoulds' of other peoples' style. Ken was a lovely dresser when he went out for events, and a utilitarian dresser who favoured jeans and button-up shirts. When he moved to assisted living, his partner begged us to leave behind "any shirts with safety pins for buttons". He “mended” his work pants with glue (in his defence, it *was* seam glue) and staples. For a while in the early 90s, he’d found himself a handheld stitching device, and sat in the basement of the house on McTavish street hemming trousers. He would shortly return to using staples. 

Ken would say "you don't have to be fancy to shovel shit". He would also say "maybe I'll just show up nude", and sometimes he did, although not to family events, for which his family is eternally grateful. 

Never content to be in one place for too long, Ken was an avid traveller. There were many vacations and trips he took with his family every year at Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break, and Easter. He had spent several months touring Europe before settling in Prince Albert, and later in life he was exited to spend winters in places without winter. He enjoyed cruises and vacations Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Texas, Arizona, California, and more.


While in Europe in 1971 and 1972, Ken visited London, Ostens, Brussels, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Bremen, Nuremberg, Kopenhagen, Mobil, Stockholm, Berlin, Hanover, Koln, Koblenz, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Zurich, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Ganz, Sacrado, Trieste, Mestre, Florence, Piza, Varidro, rome, Kyparyssia, Trypolis, Athens, Aggelihi, Paris, Dieppe, Dover, and Staplehurst. He kept a diary of his travels, and in his illness, we would read it to him. More often than not, he would stop us. "You'd better stop here," he'd say, "before we get into trouble." Ken always dreamed of returning to Europe. He loved Greece and left part of his heart in Brindisi and Athens. 


Ken always wanted to travel to Australia and New Zealand.