Obituaries

Ken Bell is unforgettable.

Whether you knew Ken as a teammate, or as a coach or your teacher or your neighbour or the guy who hired you to haul grain and hoe trees, if you knew him, you won’t forget him. Ken loved teaching, visiting, travelling, machining, and he loved dancing. Most of all, Ken loved his family and his friends. He loved big and he loved well. There is a Ken-shaped hole in our lives, and nothing will ever be the same again.

When Ken was born in Outlook, Saskatchewan on 18 March 1947, he broke the mold and caused such a ruckus his parents Leonard and Dot would have no more children. Ken was more than enough. Through his youth in Outlook he played all the sports, wooed all the gals, and continued to cause a ruckus with Wayne, Glen, Carson, and Lloyd. Although the statute of limitations has probably run out for the hijinks they got up to, there are many, many stories to be told even still. Ken was particularly proud of his curling team who were, although Ken was too modest to say, quite accomplished.

He worked on the farm with his father Len, and for a time out in the oil patch. He would return to take post-secondary education at the University of Saskatchewan. In 1971, shortly before his convocation, he went on a European hitchhiking trip for several months with Richie and Bill, which ignited his passion for travel and about which he would speak fondly for the rest of his life. At the U of S, Ken earned his Bachelor of Education in 1972, and he taught in Regina, Saskatoon, Eastend (where he was press-ganged into joining the hockey team), and Meath Park before settling down in Prince Albert.

It was in Prince Albert in 1972 Ken and his bride, Judy-Lee Cosgrove, with their brand new daughter Jillian, made their home. Ken and Judi taught, and Jillian, much like her father, caused such a ruckus she would be their only child. During his years in Prince Albert, Ken played on a senior rec hockey team, he and Judi curled, he skied, he coached soccer, basketball, senior girls’ volleyball, and there might have been a broomball team in there too. Ken also coached his daughter, who was not athletically gifted, in soccer, softball, track and field, and volleyball.

Following the untimely death of his father in 1981, Ken returned to farm at Outlook and continued to substitute teach when harvest was done. Through the ensuing years, Ken’s friends and family enjoyed his stories, antics, and practical jokes (they were NOT chocolate covered peanuts lying on the ground in that meadow). Ken built a cabin at Candle Lake, and spent many hot summers and some cold winters there with his family and friends. His passion for travel and adventure never slowed; when the farming years were lean he travelled throughout the province building grain bins. He and Judi and Jillian spent many days on the road for ski trips, vacations, and holidays. If you looked in the dictionary under the term wanderlust, you’d find Ken’s picture. If you looked in the dictionary under dive hotels, you’d find the places they stayed along the way.

In 2002 Ken and Jillian lost Judi to cancer, which really sucked.

Ken was blessed with lovely partners to share his love of dancing and travelling. Anyone who caught Ken’s eye is good people. His partners enriched Ken’s life on cruises, beach vacations, on casino junkets, and at every Legion Hall between Prince Albert and Regina. Frankly, Jillian is a little surprised she doesn’t have more siblings. We are so very grateful for the joy Ken’s paramours brought him.

Perhaps the greatest joys of Ken’s life were his grandsons Tavish and Eamon. From the moment they were born, a light came to Ken’s eyes that could outshine the sun. “If I’d have known grandkids were this much fun, I’d have had them first”, he was wont to say. Thanks, Dad. As the years passed, Ken attended pretty much every event they undertook. He would have pulled the moon from the sky for his boys.

We did not have enough time with Ken. In 2020 he was diagnosed with dementia. It did not take him from us, as he recognised us until his last breath, and for that we are so very thankful. He died on September 19, 2025.

Ken’s memory will live forever with his daughter Jillian, her husband Michael, their children Tavish (Charisma) and Eamon. He loved and admired his second family Ken and Joanne Cosgrove and Vicki and Dennis Ternes. Ken was very proud of his nephews and nieces Adam and Dawn, their children Hudson, Colton, and Lily; Scott and his girls Sloane and Teddie; and Blake and Kim and their daughter Kacey. Even when his memory was betraying him, he would put sticky notes up all over his kitchen reminding him of al their names. Ken had a close relationship with his cousins Lloyd and June Carnahan and considered them the siblings he never had. Welcoming him on his next grand adventure are his parents, Len and Dot, his wife Judi, Judi’s parents Kate and Percy, and all Ken’s friends who also left before their time.

There will be a memorial fall supper in Outlook on October 24, 2025 to celebrate everything Ken. We encourage you to plant a tree or a flower or some lentils or anything but cochia in Ken’s memory, and in lieu of flowers or donations, please share your stories and memories of Ken with his family, no matter how risqué. The family has set up a memorial website https://ken-bell.cenobyte.ca where you can share your stories. We would like to thank all the people who helped us through Ken’s illness, and especially Wayne and Hulda, Lindsay and Delphine, Gary, and the wonderful and caring staff and volunteers at Wascana Rehab in Regina.

"I coulda cried".