Obituaries

Ken Blommaert passed away on February 26, 2026 at the age of 81.

From humble beginnings in a wooden grain bin to a beautiful farmhouse located in the Mehan District, seven miles north of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Ken had an idyllic childhood.

According to his older sister Elaine, Ken dreamed of being a cowboy. Wearing cowboy clothing riding around on a wooden sawhorse with only a saddle, he spent hours on his horse riding to school and shooting gophers with his .22 rifle.

Ken raised pigeons injecting the eggs with coloured dye so the chicks would hatch in a variety of beautifully bright feathery colours.

Living on the farm Ken loved all animals. He had a pet crow as well as a pet pig. He attended YCI for high school in Yorkton where he honed his shooting skills while on the shooting team. He became an expert pool player and an amazing curler all while keeping up with his studies and remaining an “A” student. Ken began post-secondary education at the University of Saskatchewan later transferring to the University of Regina, convocating with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Math.

In 1969, Ken married the love of his life, Pat, enjoying many adventures with her, his best friend over their next fifty-six years. Together they created three great children Todd, Scott and Kelly.

His interest in technology led him to his lifelong career in programming and then switching to System Analyst, always with the Saskatchewan Government.

Family has always been number one with Ken, with his boys, then aged seven and five helping him build the cabin at Good Spirit Lake while his six-month-old daughter supervised from her swing in a tent in the center of construction. Ken absolutely loved the lake. He taught his children how to load and unload the boat, maintenance of a boat, how to drive a boat, how to fish, how to water ski in the summer and cross-country ski in the winter.

Ken always had a wineskin with Baby Duck inside and eating frozen cranberries off the frosty bushes.

He instilled great family values in his children by example. As we now see, it is demonstrated in the way Todd and Kelly have raised their boys. He was very close to his five grandsons Ethyn, Dawsyn, Sutton, Linkyn and Vaughn, initially attending their sporting events in person and later watching them on TV through the various platforms available. He made the most of the time he had with them. Whether just chatting or teaching them new things - for example how to solder transistor radios while burning a hole in the dining room table.

He always had a great love of music and was very particular about the sound. When purchasing a new vehicle, he made sure the sound system was up to his expectations.

While working for the government he became very interested in politics both in the U.S.A. and in Canada. Ken and Pat spent twenty springtimes in Victoria, which became Ken’s happy place meeting new people and reacquainting with old friends.

Ken acquired a love for wine and wine tasting at the many vineyards on the island. He became quite a wine connoisseur becoming extremely particular on deciding upon which was the proper wine glass for the various wines he consumed. This continues to be a great family joke.

Here is a summary of Ken’s last few days:

Monday, Feb. 23/26 – Ken and Pat went to Bushwakkers for beef dip and Jazz Night.

Tuesday, Feb. 24/26 – Ken and Pat made taco salad together and watched TV.

Wednesday, Feb. 25/26 – Pat made chicken salad, Ken was sleeping.

Thursday, Feb. 26/26 – Ken was airlifted to Saskatoon via STARS for neurosurgery, later becoming an Angel who will be watching over us all until we meet again.

Private family service will be held. Flowers gratefully declined. Donations in Ken’s memory may be made to STARS.