Kenneth Marvin Westby

Kenneth (Ken) Marvin Westby was born on Saturday, May 11, 1935 at Rose Valley General Hospital in Rose Valley, Saskatchewan. His parents were Melvin and Signe (Madsberg) Westby. Melvin was from Minnesota, and Signe, who had been scheduled to ride on the Titanic, was from Norway. Ken had an older sister Edith (Westby) Landry, an older brother Wilber (Wib), and younger brother Morris (Mo), who had a twin brother who died at birth.

Melvin passed when Ken was three years of age, so Signe was left to raise the family. Growing up in Rose Valley, the family formed the foundation of Ken’s life and gave Ken his Lutheran faith and his Norwegian identity. He went to school in Rose Valley through grade 12, and excelled at sports, including track and field, curling, baseball and hockey.

During his youth, he worked as a paper boy, at the market, the pharmacy and the Co-op store, but landed a position in 1953 with the Bank of Montreal, which would change the course of his life. At first, he held positions throughout Saskatchewan, but in 1958 he moved to Dryden, Ontario, to join the BMO staff there. From Dryden, he moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and then to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. 

During his time in Moose Jaw, he met and dated Eileen Helen Gaffney of Regina. They married on October 12, 1963, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Parish in Regina. The newlyweds settled in Winnipeg, where Ken was an accountant at the Portage and Main Branch. Eileen gave birth to their son Eric on November 27, 1964 at Misericordia Hospital.

In early 1968, Ken received a life-changing call from the BMO president Fred MacNeil, who brought Ken, Eileen and Eric to the lights of New York City in April 1968. The family settled in Short Hills, New Jersey. Ken worked on Wall Street as a BMO agency agent, tasked with internally investigating bank fraud. Ken was so successful at that task that he was transferred to San Francisco, California, where he was on special assignment from Mr. MacNeil to investigate personnel issues. The family lived in San Mateo from 1970 to 1972, and from there moved to Montreal, Quebec, where they lived from 1972 through the summer of 1979. In Montreal, Ken continued to work for BMO, but in the summer of 1979, he took a position with Canadian Commercial and Industrial Bank in Los Angeles, California. Ken, Eileen and Eric lived in Northridge until 1983, and from that point, until he retired, Ken and Eileen lived in Orange County, including Villa Park and the city of Orange. Ken would work in the Los Angeles area through July of 2005, also working at Westland Bank, Community Bank, Sanwa Bank and finally Banco Popular. 

Ken and Eileen retired in Flagstaff, Arizona in 2005. After Eileen passed in November of 2008, Ken spent one more year before moving to Pebble Creek, Arizona; in 2016, he moved to central Phoenix to be close to Eric and his family.

Ken touched so many people. He was known to be outgoing, generous and loyal. He was devoted to his faith in Jesus, his family, and his favorite football teams, starting with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

In addition to his love for football, he kept up on all his favorite sports, including hockey, curling, and the Olympics. Even while living in the United States, Ken was devoted to ‘Team Canada’, regardless of what sport Canada was playing. For Ken, sports was not only a time of showing one’s loyalty; it was a time for him to share bonding moments with others. Whether it was at a live game or at home watching TV, Ken generously invited others to sit back, relax, enjoy, and consume all the food one wanted.

Second only to his faith in Jesus was his family. Ken was devoted to his family, both his immediate family as well as his extended family. In a certain sense, Ken was the glue that kept an extended family - scattered across North America - together. He was keenly aware of his roots and did extensive research into his family tree, even keeping up with as much of the Norwegian language as possible.

To his grandchildren, he was simply known as ‘Papa’. For them, he would spare no expense, especially at Christmas time. He loved his family dearly and did all he could so they would have the best family experiences possible. His family will always feel his absence at Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and significant family gatherings.

As time has gone on, so many of us have shared how important Ken was in our lives. We thank God for that, for the way he brought people together and for the way that he helped us, especially when we were in need.

His faith in Christ shaped his actions and outlook on life. His Lutheran upbringing set a foundation for his faith, and later he was a member at a variety of evangelical churches in Orange County and Arizona. He participated frequently in choir and Bible study and was a frequent benefactor of a variety of charitable organizations. His love for Jesus was an example to us all. 

One of the last events of Ken’s life pulled together these key themes of faith and family. In late September 2024, he met his first great granddaughter, Joan Cecilia Burch, daughter of Therese (Westby) Burch. Ken’s joy was indescribable, and he gave thanks to God for this precious life.

Eric would like to offer special thanks to those who assisted dad over these last three years, including the entire staff of the Hillside Senior Living home, Jessica Alire and You Called Concierge service, Dr. Frank Agnone, Ken Houck, John Even and all those in the medical community that served Ken. Eric would also like to thank all the support of his family members, in particular his wife Nikki, his children, his cousins Michelle van der Linden, Marc Westby and the many family and friends who gave Eric direction during these past few years.

Ken is survived by his son, Eric James, his wife Nikki, and their five daughters, Chloe (11), Gianna (14), Sofia (21), Rachel (23), Thérèse Burch (26), her husband Martin, and their daughter Joan. Ken is proceeded in death by his wife, Eileen Helen (Gaffney) Westby, and a stillborn son (Martin).

A rosary is scheduled at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 2312 E. Campbell Ave., Phoenix AZ 85016 at 1:45pm on Friday, November 29th, 2024, followed by the funeral Mass at 2pm. He will be interred at St. Francis Cemetery in Phoenix at 9am on Saturday, November 30th, 2024.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hillside Senior Living, 1546 E El Camino Dr, Phoenix AZ 85020. Checks can be sent to that address, or funds can be sent electronically, either via Zelle at emrsmith@yahoo.com or via Venmo @hsal1546. 

Eternal rest grant unto Ken, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.