KENNETH JAMES FALLIS

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KENNETH JAMES FALLIS Peacefully with his family by his side, on Sunday, October 24, 2010, Ken passed away at the Grace Hospital at the age of 83. Ken will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 57 years, Beryl, his children Garth, David (Debbie), Karen, and Lynn (Jim), and his grandchildren Jennifer, Kendra, David, John, Kyle, Colin, Alana, and Christy. Ken was born in 1926 on the same farm his father had been born near Snowflake, Manitoba and was always proud of his farming heritage. He attended the University of Manitoba and graduated with a Degree in Civil Engineering in 1949. Upon graduation, he started a 43 year career with Manitoba Hydro (then Winnipeg Electric). He started working for the transmission group at the Seven Sisters Generating Station and then moved into the construction area where he played instrumental roles in the construction of the Selkirk and Brandon Thermal Plants, Kelsey, Grand Rapids, and all the Nelson River Generating Stations. During his early years at Winnipeg Electric he also met his future wife Beryl. The project he was the most proud of was the Grand Rapids Generating Station where he was the Resident Manager and lead a team that rose to the many challenges presented by the unique conditions at Grand Rapids and pioneered the construction of northern power generation in Canada. More importantly many of the team remained lifelong friends. He finished his career as Executive Engineer where his colleagues called upon him for his wisdom and experience as well as his meticulous knowledge of contracts. After retirement he stayed involved with his colleagues working on the development of the Manitoba Electric Museum. An off shoot of his time with Manitoba Hydro was the Friday Pizza Group, a group of friends he dearly treasured. The group, made up mostly of men who had worked together on the hydro construction projects, has been meeting at the same pizza restaurant every Friday for 40 years to swap lies and tell stories. Through his engineering activities he was an active member of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers and was recognized for his contribution with a lifetime membership and being made a fellow in 1985. Ken maintained a lifelong interest in sports of which curling, golf, and football were his favourites. His early curling career included playing on a number of competitive teams that won major events in the MCA Bonspiel. He was very active in the curling at the Winnipeg Winter Club where he was a member of the Board of Governors. He used his curling knowledge and meticulous nature to help rewrite the rules of curling for the Canadian Curling Association. He also took great joy, and added a few grey hairs, watching Karen and Lynn compete in their many curling events. As a golfer he played for many years at Breezy Bend and took particular enjoyment in golfing with his kids on the family vacations to Clear Lake. Ken was an avid fan of the Canadian Football League and longtime season ticket holder for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. As a very successful arm chair coach he always had an opinion on the performance of the team. Ken was also an active member of Westworth United Church where he served on the Board of Stewards and then as a member and Chair of the Finance Committee becoming the finance go to guy . The family would like to sincerely thank the staff of the Intensive Care Unit at the Grace Hospital for the genuine care and comfort they gave dad while he was there. A special thank you to John who was truly a blessing. Memorial service will held Wednesday, October 27 at 2:00 p.m. at Westworth United Church, 1750 Grosvenor Ave. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Canadian Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, 47 Squire Bakers Lane, Markham, Ontario www.canadianpulmonaryfibrosis.ca/donate

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 26, 2010