Kenneth Mogensen

Ken passed away peacefully at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital with his wife, Liz and his step-daughter Sarah at his side.  His family remained in contact with him through Sarah and Liz and were thankful to have the opportunity to send their love.

Ken spent most of his adult life in Calgary, AB and was an owner of Castle Appliance Services for over 40 years.  Ken later resided in Okotoks, AB, Nanoose Bay, BC and finally, Parksville, BC.

He is survived by his loving wife Elizabeth (Liz) Mogensen, to whom he was married for 32 wonderful years. He is also survived by his siblings and their spouses, as well as many nephews and nieces: Norman Mogensen (Joan), Doris McKoen (Ron), and sister-in-law Muriel Mogensen. 

He is predeceased by his mother Dagny Margrethe (Margaret) Mogensen (Andersen Munk), his father Niels (Nels) Peter Mogensen; his brother Hugh Mogensen, Hugh’s wife Helen and daughter Jean Mogensen (Langlois); brother Wayne Mogensen and his son Alexis; as well as grandchildren, Joanne Stieb, and Kelly Korth. 

His children, their spouses and significant others will miss him greatly: Linda Henke (Brad), Beverly Earl (Jack), Margaret Mogensen-Ferrier (ex-spouse Kent), Diana Gray (Steve), Peter Mogensen (Tracey)(ex-spouse Jana), and his step-children Alison Wood (Aaron), Sarah Heyman (David), and Jon Wood (Amy).  

His grandchildren: Mary Stieb Bennett (Jamie); Rob Korth; Jeff Earl (Rhonda) and Chris Earl (Jackie); Noah Ferrier; Ruby and Elliot Mogensen; Paul and Jordan Gray; Jonah, Sawyer and Henry Heyman; Sophie and Violet Wood; Mitch Kelly; Maggie and Jane Klett.  

His great grandchildren: Marissa Korth; Mirlanda Cisecky (Graham); Forrest Moorhouse; Alex, Kenney and Shalleena Bennett; Emma Earl; Eric and Ben Earl; and Everleigh Gray. 

His great, great grandchild Joanna Cisecky (Graham). 

 
Ken’s father, Niels Peter Mogensen immigrated from Denmark to Canada in 1927, and was followed later by Dagny Margrethe in 1929.  During this time Niels was employed as a labourer near Didsbury Alberta.  Three weeks after Dagny arrived they were married, and made Calgary Alberta their home.  One year later their first child was born.  

In 1939 Nels & Margaret bought 160 acres of land in the Benjamin district near Rimbey / Eckville Alberta.  There they remained as homesteaders. 

The first summer, the family lived in a tent while the two-room log cabin home was being constructed.  The five children, Hugh, Ken, Norman, Doris, and Wayne were raised at this small farm and lived a simple, hard-working life, close to nature, in a rural Alberta setting. Rimbey was the closest town for groceries, by horse and wagon, until they bought a vehicle in the late 1940’s. 

Ken attended a one-room school, with his siblings and later attended Lockhart School.  Here he lived with the Jaffray family and worked for his room and board.  

Ken spent his days working on the farm, going to school, and was even involved in the local rodeo.

From there he went to Red Deer, where Ken and Hugh worked on the farm of the school superintendent, Mr. R.V. McCullough, for the Lacombe school district.  There was a lot of oil exploration in the area at that time and he went to work in that industry after grade 11.  Eventually Ken moved to Calgary, and did a variety of labour work, including seismic.  This occasionally took him to northern Alberta. 

His parents, Margaret and Nels, moved to the town of Eckville in 1962 / 1963. 

As a young man Ken married Noreen Fiske.  Ken and Noreen had two children - Linda and Beverly.  Later that marriage ended.  Linda and Bev were raised by their grandparents, Margaret & Niels Mogensen, for a short time at their home in Eckville AB.

Ken met Marilyn Mogensen (MacFarlane) through a Photography Club based in Calgary.  Each of them shared a strong interest in the art of the camera.  Eventually Ken married Marilyn and had three children - Margaret, Peter and Diana.  Bev also was a part of this family unit while she was finishing high school.  He was married to Marilyn for 18 years.  They had their ups and downs, but had many good times together in the outdoors doing activities such as camping, hiking, fishing, cross-country skiing, golfing, road trips, vacations, family visits, walks, and of course photography.  

Ken was a man of many hobbies.  Some of his favourites were: wood carving; carpentry and home maintenance; maintaining outdoor recreation gear; macramé; plants and gardening; curling; bird-watching; listening to jazz and big-band music; and photography.  At one point they even had a photography darkroom in their basement.  He was always willing to get involved with his kids’ crafts and activities. 

Ken started his career as a service technician.  He and his business partner, Ron Kelly, bought Castle Radio Repair Shop and eventually expanded into all aspects of the appliance business.  The name was changed to Castle Appliance Services and became an integral part of Calgary’s service community for over 40 years. 

In 1987, Ken met Liz through the Calgary Singles Club.  They married in 1989, moved to Okotoks, AB and combined their households and families.Over the years many large fun family gatherings were held in Okotoks and the Calgary area.  Where all the kids and extended family had a great time visiting.   

Ken & Liz purchased a home in Nanoose Bay three years before retirement, in preparation for their senior years.  They retired together in 1995 and decided to leave Alberta for Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island.  Ken and Liz lived in their island “paradise” for the next 20 years.  They shared many interests: love of the outdoors, walking, vacationing, world travel, reading, crafts, a background in business, and each other.  They complemented each other with their other diverse interests. 

Together Ken & Liz were charter members of the Nanoose Bay Walking Club, a large walking group located in the Nanoose / Parksville area.  This created a rich and diverse friend network for them, while the physical activity and friendship provided many health benefits and fun times over the years. 

Ken became an avid wood carver and was involved as a charter member in the Oceanside Wood Carvers Club.  He met his fellow carvers every week for close to 20 years.  There they shared projects, techniques, and carving secrets!  They also shared some of these techniques with junior high school students and taught them to carve as well.  As a group, they were involved in many community events such as the Brant Bird Festival.  This led Ken to carve many different kinds of birds.  Ken shared this love of this craft with his whole family, often giving carvings away to family and friends as gifts. 

Ken & Liz traveled to several national and international destinations together, such as: Hawaii, Mexico, Europe, Panama Canal, Turkey, Bali, New Zealand and Australia.  One trip to Europe was a “roots” trip with visits to Denmark and Britain.  They traveled extensively in Canada and the US as well. 

Ken & Liz lived a peaceful and happy life together into retirement. 

Many members of our large and loving family visited Ken & Liz in Nanoose Bay.  It sometimes acted as a home base for us to explore the rest of Vancouver Island and to visit with other family and friends.  We all had many great times there and Ken & Liz were always very gracious hosts.

Several years ago Ken & Liz downsized and moved to a duplex in Parksville.  Where we all continued to visit them, the beaches and the parks.

In March of 2020, they moved to an independent living community where Ken and Liz lived their last two years together.  

Ken loved us deeply and genuinely cared for us.  He taught us many things about life and the natural world.  He developed a love of travel and exploring the world around him.  All of this always involved connecting with relatives and people in general. 

His family and friends were of utmost importance to him.  He was a real people person.  Throughout his time here, he lived his life to the fullest of his ability, with his family in the forefront.  He lived his life on his own terms and was always in pursuit of a better life for himself and his family.  He did his best, even during difficult circumstances, with a twinkle in his eye and his unique brand of optimism. 

Being a wonderful, happy, empathetic, gregarious, and social guy, Ken had the ability to connect with anyone from any background.  He has made a profound impact on many people during his lifetime.  And will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him. 

Rest In Peace Ken Mogensen.

You are loved, and we all miss you very much.