Tribute Wall
In Memory of
Ken Pallister
1954 - 2025
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Karen Neely posted a condolence
Friday, January 17, 2025
My sincere condolences to Jane, Richard and all of your family on the passing of your brother.
Please keep all your fond memories close to your heart.
Thinking of you at this time.
Yours sincerely
Karen Neely (MacDonald)
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Joe Slade posted a condolence
Saturday, January 11, 2025
My deepest condolences to Ken’s family. Ken’s presence at the Wiarton Marina will be truly missed. As a fellow C Dock sailor I really appreciated Ken’s knowledge and help. New to sailing it was always a relief to see Ken coming down the dock to help me secure my boat. He was so generous with his time and knowledge. I was really looking forward to seeing him again this upcoming season! We also spent time reminiscing about out engineering experiences at the Bruce Nuclear Site. I will miss our chats. Rest in peace Ken. You are missed.
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Don posted a condolence
Saturday, January 11, 2025
Ken was always the first person you would meet on C dock. He was our Dock Master and ensured all boats were safe for the night. An extremly knowledgable man he was relied upon by many in the marina.
We will miss you Ken.
Don
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Kenneth Shannon posted a condolence
Friday, January 10, 2025
My memories of Uncle Ken are of the best uncle anyone could ask for. He was always eager to share in his interests, whether it was mechanical engineering, his passion for flying, or his progressive politics. Getting a chance to go up in an airplane with him twice was something I will never forget. There was never a dull moment when I spent time with him. That time was always precious given that he lived out west for a lot of my life.
Most of all, I will forever be grateful to him for hosting Samantha, Jamie, Will and I at his house in Calgary when we drove out there in the summer of 2008, and in 2009 when Kassia and I flew out to visit both Uncle Ken and Samantha who was staying with him for the summer while she worked at the plant in Cochrane he was working at. Him showing us around Calgary and mountains and lending us his car for some excursions of our own gave us an experience like no other. The most memorable part of the 2009 trip was when his car broke down between Banff and Calgary on the last leg of a 2 day trip to Edmonton and Jasper which ended up with him giving me a late night motorcycle ride back to Calgary following the car getting towed.
In his last years, his demons sadly seemed to get the better of him and he was not able to be a part of our life like a lot of us would have wanted. I had always looked forward to some day catching up and letting him know how much having him in my life meant to me, even if there were years of limited contact due to geography or personal circumstances. That is the hardest part of losing Uncle Ken so soon knowing that this now won't come to pass. The best we can all do is to hold on to all of the many, many good personal and family memories that Uncle Ken was a part of.
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Matthew Shannon posted a condolence
Friday, January 10, 2025
Uncle Ken you introduced me to a lot of adventure in life. Teaching me how to kayak on Fanshawe Lake, taking me flying over Lake Simcoe, hiking up Suplhur Mountain and white water rafting in Banff, celebrating your "August Birthday" at the family barbeque, you were always the epitome of a fun uncle growing up.
I miss the days of learning and trying new hobbies with you and have missed having you in my life. You were always exploring and you broadened my horizons. You were and will always be missed, Uncle Ken.
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Mary Booth posted a condolence
Friday, January 10, 2025
My big brother
From day one, he was my big brother who I loved, teased, pestered, fought with, argued with, sided with, learned from and envied (he had different rules from us girls) He was the only male in our family. He was the oldest of his generation. Eldest of the four siblings and his cousins.
Although, he didn't lack from male influence and companionship. He got plenty from uncles, cousins, friends and his involvement in Scouting, from Cub to Venturer.
He was a navigator to our Mom, getting us to the East Coast and back. Even making sure, we didn't run out of gas in the tunnel in Montreal, by flipping on the accessory tank in the VW Beetle. Not bad for a 13 year old. He was a wiz with cars from an early age.
So many memories come flooding back. We had been missing him for quite awhile and will continue to miss him in the future.
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Jeremy McNaughton posted a condolence
Friday, January 10, 2025
Uncle Ken introduced me to sci-fi and fantasy. He took me flying and let me control the stick. He built his own sailboat and took me sailing on Lake Huron. He gave me my first three computers, Commodores, and encouraged me to learn them. He made his own loom. He had two of everything, and he had a lot of things. He introduced me to video games, with a huge pile of pirated 5¼" floppies. He was the first adult who spoke to me like an adult, when I was a child. He taught me how to think about systems, and that everything is systems of systems within systems.
His whole family missed him for years already. He and I reconnected briefly then I don't know why but he stopped replying to my emails. He has been missed and he will be missed. I'm sorry Uncle Ken.
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Vanda and Adrian Marsden posted a condolence
Friday, January 10, 2025
Ken was a valued member of our marina family.
He will be missed. Our deepest condolences.
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Ernesto Stasiak lit a candle
Friday, January 10, 2025
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Ken will be missed around the Docks!
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Gradus and Anneke van den Heuvel lit a candle
Friday, January 10, 2025
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Wiarton marina there was Ken always lending a hand tying a mooring line, after a storm checking on your boat.
Always had time for a great conversation.
He will be missed.
Our sincere condolences to family and friends.
Your sailing friends,
Gradus and Anneke van den Heuvel
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Leigh Grigg uploaded photo(s)
Friday, January 10, 2025
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Ken was a very caring man, and would go out of his way to assist anyone anytime. He was the first person we would call if we were in a sticky situation in our own sailboat, and Ken even motored out once to board our boat when our engine failed, because he had the confidence and expertise to return a boat he had never piloted before to the marina under sail in windy conditions.
He was a pilot, a sailor, a mechanical engineer out of U of Waterloo, an instructor & mentor, a mechanic, plus an avid motorcyclist, skiier, cyclist, kayaker, weaver, woodworker, welder, and AutoCAD designer among other passions. He was a system engineer at Bruce Power in the early 90s and also a senior engineer with TransCanada, SaskPower and other energy providers. He was also a lifelong student, amassing a ton of skills and certifications, but was certainly not a man who would boast of his accomplishments. He contributed an impressive amount of information to his family tree online.
He held his commercial pilot license with a seaplane endorsement, but a damaged cornea prevented him from his dream of being a flight instructor. Nonetheless he volunteered countless hours at the Wiarton Marina.
He was a thoughtful man who watched out for people's safety at every workplace he ever set foot in, and left more than one job opportunity on principle, whistleblowing a number of public safety concerns over his career. That is likely how many people will remember him, as a man of integrity.
Our family thanks Ken for all he has given us in mentorship and friendship.
The Griggs.
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Wiarton Marina Ltd. lit a candle
Friday, January 10, 2025
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Our sailing community has lost a popular member.
Ken wasn't around the marina much this past year since he was recovering from heart surgery, but he would still make time to stop in and visit us during the fall and, most recently in December, to make sure he still had his assigned slip, since he planned on being back in action this spring.
Ken was a big part of the marina community and it's activities; he was happily involved with the Brakewinders Junior Sailing program, always helping out in any way he could. He always volunteered and was active with racing here and would help the Race Committee with starting, timing and finishing; when you crossed the finish line and heard the horn sound, it was probably Ken.
Ken lived on his little sailboat, Sirius 21, during the boating season and when he wasn't worrying about his refrigerator capacity, he kept a watchful eye on the boats within the marina. He continuously shared his knowledge and passion for sailing with those around him, regardless of their own sailing experience. Ken was interested in maritime archaeology and spent a fair amount of his time locating and investigating shipwrecks in the area. No matter what he was up to, he always had time to stop and visit.
He will be greatly missed.
Fair Winds Ken
Ted Jacob,
General Manager and Wiarton Marina Ltd. Staff
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The family of Ken Pallister uploaded a photo
Thursday, January 9, 2025
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Wiarton
430 Mary Street, Wiarton, Ontario N0H 2T0
Lion's Head Chapel
71 Main Street, Lion's Head, Ontario N0H 1W0
