Kenneth "Ken" Levern Finnestad

It is with sorrow that we announce the death of Kenneth Levern Finnestad. Ken died October 18 at St. Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon.

Ken was born August 10, 1932 near Hawarden, Saskatchewan. He spent most of his youth in Prince Albert, but moved to Outlook to attend high school at LCBI. Following high school, he obtained his Bachelor of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon. He then spent time in Washington, D.C. and California, learning sign language. On his return to Canada he established a church for deaf people in Saskatoon, fundraising for the church building. In the years following he taught at deaf schools in Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Alberta and served a number of churches in Saskatchewan. He also continued his formal education, obtaining both his Master of Divinity and Master of Education degrees. 

Ken married Lois Olson in 1954 and together they raised four children. Coke, pizza, and popcorn were frequently the centre of family gatherings, accompanied by wide-ranging conversations including (but not limited to) theology, politics, philosophy, ethics, and literature. Opinions were debated with vigour and enthusiasm. Sadly, Lois passed away in 1999. 

Ken was predeceased by his parents, Thea and Lenard Finnestad; and siblings Norman, Vivian Duchesne, and Dorothy Johnson. He was also predeceased by his second wife, Frieda Finnestad, with whom he enjoyed 10 years of marriage after Lois' death. 

He is survived by his brother, Harvey; his children Sonje, Faith, Craig (Colleen), and Tove; his grandchildren Sam, Ben, Jake, Kai, Petra, and Mabel; and his third wife, Fern Anderson.

 Although Ken will be missed, he had a deep faith in a loving God and a life beyond this one. At Ken's request, there will be no memorial service. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that anyone wishing to make donations consider Luminhos at luminhos.org or Canadian Lutheran World Relief at clwr.org