Kenneth William Belsher, long time resident of Lethbridge and more recently of Calgary, passed away on August 7th, 2023 at the age of 92. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Betty, sons Bob (Marilyn), Brent (Slavica), Dale (Corry), and Lane (Lisa), grandchildren Kailey, Cody (Beth), Tyler, Troy, Connor, Lindsey, Brady, Cassidy (Juan), Nycailah, Julia, Tessa, and great grandchild Henley. Ken is also survived by his sisters Doris, Margaret, and Gwen (Glen), brothers Duke and Doug (Annette), sister-in-law Bev, and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Ken was predeceased by parents Willy and May, brothers Will, Chuck, Art, Merv, Hugh, Laurie and sisters Nita, Francis, Ursula, Lynn, Alice, and brothers-in-law Orville, Dee, Archie, Doug, Dan, Matt, Gerry, and sisters-in-law Edie, Marg, Marty, Jean, Ruth, and Joyce.
Ken grew up on a farm on the edge of McCord Saskatchewan where he learned the values of hard work, honesty, humility, and integrity. He left the farm in the late 40’s to join his brothers at a logging camp on the west coast. In the early 50’s Ken returned to Saskatchewan to work in the trucking industry, later moving to Alberta where he and four of his brothers, as well as a brother-in-law, started an Alberta based trucking company called Belshers Limited. In Edmonton he met his wife Betty when she was hired as a secretary to work for the company. In 1961, Belshers Limited was sold and Ken began a career in insurance, which eventually took him to Lethbridge in 1972. To many, Ken’s reputation was built simply on the unwavering guarantee of his word and his handshake. In the early 70’s after 20 years away from the farm, Ken’s roots took hold again. He bought farmland which he owned almost until the day he died.
Family harmony was truly his greatest legacy. Ken was principled, compassionate, and an incredible mentor. Today, all these values are clearly reflected and carried by his children that he so deeply cared about. He was humble and thankful for whatever time his loved ones had for him – long or short.
In his leisure time, Ken was passionate about golfing and camping. His greatest joy was time spent with family and friends and the activity didn’t much matter.
A Celebration of Life will be held in Calgary at Eden Brook Funeral Home, 24223 Township Road 242, Calgary, Alberta at 2:00 PM on August 24th, 2023. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Salvation Army as per Ken’s wishes.
