Kenneth ARMSTRONG

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ARMSTRONG: After a valiant effort to recover from several recent health challenges, Kenneth William Armstrong passed away at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg at the age of 78 on Thursday, May 22, 2014. He leaves to cherish his memory his wife of 52 years, Genevieve, son Scott, daughter Llwellyn, sister Sandra Armstrong of Brandon, sister-in-law Dorothy Hardy, and many extended family members. He was predeceased by his father William and mother Muriel. Ken was born in Brandon on September 4, 1935. His upbringing was quite modest, yet he always credited his parents for all of the hard work and sacrifices they made to provide "everything" for him and his sister. After graduating from Brandon Collegiate Institute, he moved to Winnipeg and obtained a B Sc (Hons) and M Sc in Mathematics from the University of Manitoba. Ken became known as a master tutor, most notably to students undertaking different courses of study, after he simply read their textbooks. He married Genevieve in 1961 and together they moved to Montreal where he furthered his studies and obtained a PhD in Mathematics from McGill University in 1965. Ken and Gen returned to Winnipeg to start their family and welcomed son Scott and daughter Llwellyn. Ken spent four years as an associate professor at the University of Manitoba and then joined the Department of Mathematics at the University of Winnipeg where he remained until his retirement in 1996. He served several terms as the Department Head and was sought-after as a teacher for his meticulous notes that he freely distributed and open-door policy to assist students taking any of the mathematics courses offered by the department. In his retirement, Ken continued to actively pursue his interests in mathematics and computer science, recreational reading, and current events. He took great pleasure in the hijinks of the family dogs and will be sorely missed by pugs Mindy and Wanda. More than anything, Ken was a family man who put the needs and well-being of his loved ones above all else. Often he was a man of few words, but he made sure that there was never any question of his love and support for those closest to his heart. The family extends its sincerest gratitude to the amazing health care team of the fourth and fifth floor Cardiac Surgery Units of the I. H. Asper Clinical Research Centre and also the Intensive Care Unit of St. Boniface Hospital. Panakhyda was sung on Monday, May 26, 2014 at Cropo Funeral Chapel (1442 Main St., Winnipeg) with Fr. Eugene Maximiuk presiding. Funeral service was held on Tuesday, May 27, 2014, also at Cropo Funeral Chapel. Interment followed at All Saints Cemetery. Pallbearers were Andrew Rogan, Jarrett Morka, Dan Kolberg, Gary Kowalchuk, David Newediuk, and Lukian Maximiuk. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Ivan Suchavsky towards the altar renewal project, The Winnipeg Humane Society, or to a charity of one's choice.

As published in Brandon Sun on May 31, 2014