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Kenneth Dale Gee |
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December 17, 1952 ~ November 27, 2016 |
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December 1, 2016 |
 Kenneth
Dale Gee passed away peacefully in his sleep on
Sunday, November 27, 2016, at his daughter
Shannon’s home in Spokane. He was 63. At Ken’s
request, there will be no service or memorial.
Friends and family are encouraged to gather
informally and share a memory or two of Ken.
Born to William (Bill) and Lois Gee on December
17, 1952, in Whitefish, Montana, Ken became
little brother to Bill, who was two at the time.
The happy family created many memories living in
Summit, Montana, and in Bonners Ferry as Dad
worked on the Great Northern Railroad and Mom
worked hard in the home.
The family moved to Sandpoint in 1960, where Dad
continued his railroad career and another
brother, Russ, was born in 1962. Ken enjoyed
growing up in Sandpoint as well as camping and
fishing and hunting in the Selkirks. He loved
outdoor activities.
Ken wrestled for the Sandpoint Bulldogs and
graduated from Sandpoint High School in 1971.
After high school he worked at the Selkirk Cedar
Mill in Naples, where his right arm was crushed
in an accident and eventually had to be
amputated. Ken recuperated and resumed hunting
soon afterward, using a right-handed bolt action
to harvest a deer.
Ken could do anything with one arm, including
hunt, fish, drive a stick shift, and shark-up at
pool without using a bridge. He had a real
“can-do” spirit and devised his own ways to
cope, shunning the use of a prosthetic arm,
saying, “the damn thing just gets in my way.”
He married Beverly Walkley in 1974, and they had
two daughters, Shannon and Breanna. They later
divorced, but Ken always supported and stayed
close with his daughters and his grandkids.
Ken was always a great cook. After his accident
he attended Culinary School at Idaho State
University in Pocatello, where he graduated in
1975. Ken worked for a short time in the food
service industry, but his love of the outdoors
eventually led him back to North Idaho, where he
began a career as a log-scaler. Over the years
Ken scaled logs for several mills in Idaho,
Oregon and Washington.
All who knew Ken have multiple memories and
colorful stories of camping, hunting, fishing
and just hanging out with him, maybe even over
an adult beverage or three. These memories keep
him close to our hearts. He could be stubborn
but had a kind heart and was a generous man who
thought of the needs of others.
Ken was preceded in death by his parents and by
Bev, the mother of his children.
He is survived by his brothers Bill (Peggy) of
Newport, Washington, and Russ (Jian) of
Lewiston, daughters Shannon Gee and Breanna
Ramsey, both of Spokane, and grandchildren
Alyssa Capato, Jaedan Gee, Mikayla Ramsey,
Bryson Ramsey and Aubrey Lofton, niece Katie
(Derek) Bynagle of Homer, Alaska, and their
children Johannes, Etta, and Mathilde, and
nephew Jeramy Gee of Tacoma, Washington. |
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