Kenneth Ernest Basaraba
August 22, 1929 - February 15, 2021
Kenneth Ernest Basaraba was born in Esk, Saskatchewan on Aug 22, 1929 as the second child to Michael and Ottelie (known to us as Tillie) Basaraba. His dad worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway and they lived in the farming community of Esk. He joined his older sister Margaret and attended elementary school in Leroy, SK (and Yorkton SK during the war years). He then went to Handel, SK for high school. He continued his secondary education at the University of Saskatoon, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology in 1953.
He worked for Socony Vacuum Oil and met his dear Lavonne as she was working in a secretarial role for their Regina office. They tele typed one another frequently for work. He was working in Swift Current and sending in reports to her office which she organized and typed the reports. Then he was in Regina for work and asked her out for a dinner date. She was very nervous as they were dining at a very elegant restaurant. She ordered trout as it seemed simple and inexpensive and then when it came it was a complete fish from head to tail! She froze and he generously asked her if he could fillet her trout and then he gallantly and expertly filleted it right there at the table. She was smitten. They dated for a year and then Ken took a post working for Mobil Oil International in Turkey. They kept up their courtship from afar with many, many letters. Lavonne still has all of the ones that he wrote to her. He was there for 2 years. In that time Lavonne had moved to Calgary with Mobil Oil and was waiting for him there. Ken came home to Calgary and made plans to marry his sweetheart, which he did on June 10, 1961.
In 1964 they welcomed their son, Todd Kenneth, and in 1969 they completed their perfect set with a daughter, Karen Lynn.
Life was full for their little family. Ken loved all things outdoors - rocks, wood, snow, and fire. He was a geologist first, then a handy guy who was always building the perfect thing to be of worth to a home. Benches, tables, and other furniture. If Ken built it, it would never fall apart. It was built to last. He would always finish it so expertly, too. Paint, stain, and lacquer.
Ken’s sister, Margaret and her husband Vic own a cabin at Murray Lake just north of North Battleford, Saskatchewan. One-year Ken built a paddle board for use on the lake at their cabin. This was WAY BEFORE paddle boards were the ‘IN’ thing to do. Todd, Karen and their cousins Janet and Bob played nonstop on the big yellow paddle board. Lavonne remembers floating out on the lake on it. It was the envy of the whole lake.
He built a canoe along with a group of his peers. Tori remembers paddling that canoe with Grandpa down the Bow River when she was 7. His plans for his projects were meticulous. The drawings were precise and exact with measurements and supplies in the margins. He also had the best collection of wooden blocks. His grandchildren, Taneille and Matthew, played for hours with those blocks constructing elaborate buildings. Janet’s kindergarten classes at Foothills also had a vast collection of these same blocks that were well loved and well used. Each one was sanded smooth to protect little hands. He was so considerate of others.
He loved the outdoors, hiking, camping, fire, climbing mountains, gardening, fire, cooking outdoors, wilderness camping, seashells, badminton, trailer trips with his family in Radium, fire.....did we mention fire? He loved having a fire in the fireplace every day. It was like breathing for him. He loved his family even more. Most precious to him were his grandchildren, Victoria, Taneille and Matthew.
His children and grandchildren have many stories about skiing. He enjoyed watching and cheering for both Todd and Karen in their chosen sports and each of his grandchildren were proud to see him in the stands at most of their sporting events. He was a quiet spectator with a strong pride in their achievements.
Ken always had a little medicine bottle in his pocket going up the ski lift and he would shake out chocolate chips into the mitts of the kids and they would munch on those all the way up the mountain. He skied downhill and cross country. He took up cross county when Lavonne won a complete cross country ski package so he bought his own and took up this new sport. He skied downhill up until he was 88 years old. They joined the newly built North Family YMCA in the late ’60’s. Ken was a competitive badminton player and sat on the Y’s-Men’s Board, serving one year as President.
He was dedicated to being involved in the lives of his family and friends. He was heavily involved in his church community at Foothills Alliance Church. He and Lavonne were involved in the married couples group that cooked for special occasion banquets at the church. He was not afraid of an apron and wore it with pride. He was a leader in the Boys Brigade group at Foothills, too. He was much loved by that group of boys and men and they all keep in touch and winter camp together still. He loved his church and was secure in his faith, faithfully serving his God. He and Lavonne served as Ushers up until the Fall of 2019. That’s over 50 years.
Ken had a wonderful career as a Geologist. He started out with Socony Vacuum Oil, until their named changed to Mobil Oil, next to Mobile Oil International (USA & Turkey), then to West Canadian Oil & Gas, then to Western Decalta Oil & Gas and lastly, he retired from Woods Petroleum as their Canadian Manager in 1989.
With retirement, things were opening up for new adventures with Lavonne and their extended family. Their best friends, George and Reta Gowlland became their travelling companions and they spent many great times on the road, flying somewhere or cruising on the ocean with these, their favourite travelling buddies. They met each other when Todd was a toddler as was their daughter Charmaine. Charmaine toddled up to the steps of Ken and Lavonne’s home one afternoon and the mom’s became fast friends. The best part of it all was that the dads were just as compatible as friends. When Karen and then Tanya, the two youngest of the crew came along, they too were fast friends. The families spent these last almost 57 years with such joy in each other’s milestones, achievements and accomplishments.
When Ken was 77 years old, he and Todd took a trip of a life time to Africa to climb Mt Kilimanjaro. At the time, October 2006, Ken became the oldest person that year, the oldest Canadian ever and the oldest male to ever reach the summit that year. It was a bucket list experience.
It wouldn’t be right to speak of Ken without mentioning his love of art and the Arts. He was an avid fan of Theatre Calgary and for 37 years, he and Lavonne had season tickets to the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra with their dear friends Albert and Judy Elliott.
He was a closet artist, with detailed drawings in booklets and secret places. Mostly with pencil, pen and ink. He was a great collector (of not just art, as Lavonne can attest. A really nice box or a cute little glass jar were amongst beloved treasures).
He had a wonderful eye for paintings and he and Lavonne invested in lovely, oil paintings and water colours, too. But most treasured by Ken was his Cameo Glass. Small dainty pink bud vases to larger pieces. Cameo glass is an art form where glass is layered in different colours and then the artist carves out images through the layers to form a picture with what remains. When light shines through the glass the beauty of the multi-faceted image comes through. They are beautiful, and delicate and striking. Ken was a true believer in layers. He was multilayered himself. Very much a renaissance man. A lover of art, beauty, a sense of a true provider for his family, a man of discipline, he held people to a standard but he backed them when he could see their passion for their beliefs. He was tough. A tough boss, a principled father, a dedicated Christian, a dutiful husband. He was an enigma. There was no one else like him, just like his cameo glass. When you shone a light on him, he was brilliant!
We love you, Dad. We will miss you with our whole beings.
Dad is survived by his immediate family, wife Lavonne, their son, Todd (wife Tereasa, daughters Victoria and Taneille), their daughter, Karen (husband Alex, son Matthew) and his favourite sister Margaret (Victor) Gillen of North Battleford, Sk.
There will be a private family Memorial Service at Foothills Alliance Church on Friday, February 19. For livestream view of the service please go to
Ken’s Memorial Livestream.
In lieu of flowers and in memory of Ken, donations can be made to
Camp Chamisall or to
Camp TeePee Pole.
To view and share photos, condolences and memories of Ken, please visit www.choicememorial.com.