Kenneth "Ken" Brondum Hansen

Mr. Ken Hansen of Oxbow, beloved husband of the late Mrs. Ruth Hansen, passed away peacefully at the Galloway Health Centre, Oxbow, SK. on Monday, December 5, 2022 at the age of 91.

Ken is survived by three children: Kathaleen (Ron) Hansen of Arizona, Diana (Heath) Mathison of Oxbow, Don (Sherry) Hansen of Oxbow; grandchildren: Jessica Mathison, Dylan Mathison & Noah Hansen of Oxbow, Julia (Ryan Kozowy) Hansen of Melville as well as his great-grandsons Aksel Kane Mathison of Oxbow and Zayd Hansen and great-granddaughter Nova Jean Kozowy of Melville. He is also survived by over 60 nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews all over Canada and United States. He was predeceased by his wife of 50 years Marjorie Ruth (Allen) in 2011, his son Kenneth William in 1963, brothers Arne and William, along with his parents Camilla & Axel all of Glen Ewen.

Born in Oxbow, Saskatchewan the third son of Camilla & Axel Hansen of Stalkerville (on the Des Lacs east of Northgate), where they ran the Ferry & Boarding House on the Des Lacs from SK. to Kenmare, N.D. At the age of six they moved to a farmhouse SW of Glen Ewen right on the boarder. During this time on the farm Ken learned about agriculture, basic mechanics and building. At age 13 the school he attended shut down and he started full time on the farm and learned to work on just about anything. In the late 40’s he started to build a small home in Glen Ewen for his parents and brother Bill (who was very ill with TB.) They lost his brother Bill to TB at the young age of 19.

It was at a church social that he met a young school teacher and not long after married in August of 1956. Farming during the days and hand mixing cement in the evenings to make 2x3 pads, drilling holes and operating his hopto out of the yard in Glen Ewen – Ken Hansen Limited was taking shape. Family came first to Ken & Ruth and during this time they searched for relief for his parents’ health issues and started taking them to Arizona for the winters to make them more comfortable.

In 1960 he moved his base of operations to land located just 1 mile west of Oxbow on Highway 18 that he purchased from Mr. Gunderman. That was the start of Oxbow Trenching & Redi-Mix Ltd. A company he and his wife along with his son Don grew and developed for over 65 years. In 1962, Ken & Ruth built a small home on the outskirts of Oxbow’s south side on land they purchased from Roy & Doreen Mokelkey and added two small lots from the Town in which he placed his office. Billy & Bobby Dunlop – their nephews from Regina, were spending most every weekend they could down in Oxbow.  In 1963 they had received the bid to bring the main water line up from the town well at the river bottom up to the pump house located at the top edge of the then Golf Course. It was a wet year and the project encountered delays and it was during this time that they lost their first-born William Kenneth Hansen. Ruth took a leave of absence from teaching and along with his parents they headed south to Arizona – taking a long route across the eastern seaboard south to Florida then across to Arizona. It was the break that they all needed after the loss.

Ruth returned to teaching and in 1964 their daughter Kathaleen was born and then shortly after that Ken’s father passed away in the summer. Ken worked through it, taking Kathy along daily with him in the truck as he went to different jobsites, whistling and yodeling to the radio. Ruth worked full time at the school. In 1966 Diana blessed the house and almost exactly a year later in 1967 Don blessed the house. Ruth went to substitute teaching in the high school.  Val Mokelky spent a lot of time in the house and with the family – she became like a big sister! Jim Galloway also spent a great deal of time with the family. They never took a vacation that they didn’t bring their kids on. They both spent time hauling them to any activity they ever wanted to try from: music, dance and sports.

In the 70’s with their kids, the Carlyle lake-house, trips to Arizona, California, Tennessee & Florida kept them busy. Their nephew Jeff Allen from Edmonton spent 3 summers working at Oxbow Trenching and became like a big brother to all.

Over the years Ken and Ruth always lent a hand to those in need, the community and organizations. They were a core part of building all three swimming pools in Oxbow, the community curling and ice rink, the schools, the sidewalks, drainage, sewer lines, water lines, subdivisions, homes, commercial buildings and a lot more. Ken served on the Town Council for 2 terms. During natural disasters they jumped right in with equipment and a lot of man hours to assist with the Souris River floods in the 60’s 70’s, 2011, and the plow wind in the late 90’s that tore up the town.

In 2021 the decision was made due to health reasons and the economy to shut down operations at Oxbow Trenching Limited & Redi-Mix. The last batch of cement was in June and the auction of equipment was in September. Ken worked at clearing up the land – operating the trac hoe right into September. The land & buildings were sold along with materials.

Ken spent that entire winter in Arizona for 6 months. The summer of 2022 he took a road trip (his favorite thing to do) and went down east to visit his dearest friend, Howard Rodgers. He wanted to go south again and in November of 2022 he flew down but with his health failing had to return before the end of the month.

Ken loved to reminisce about life on the farm, riding to school on the back of the horse with his two brothers, throwing a potato in the coals at the school in the morning – so as to have lunch, farming during the day and making cement pads in the evenings by hand, converting a wood grain bin into the first home for he & Ruth, building the house on the hill in Oxbow with handmade blocks for the basement, building the first batch plant with an upside down grain bin and a grain auger, the first road trip to Arizona taking his parents on dirt roads to get there, teaching his kids to waterski when he couldn’t even swim, building the cabin – adding on – putting in the boat house with a beach, renting land to put a barn on out behind the plant for the horses, helping with evacuations on the flooding Souris River, working on the rink, working on the school, working on the hospitals…..

Ken treasured his friends and family. He loved spending time with Ron & Viv Proto, Betty-Lou and Bruce, Howard and Glenda and of course Uncle Bill Allen and he spoke every Sunday night like clockwork. There are so many great friends in the area we want to thank them all for being a part of his and our lives. I really cannot list them all and would not want to leave anyone out.

Ken had a very full life and loved showing it by working with the people in the community, his family and friends. That’s how he showed he cared. He would go up in winter and put plastic on the windows of family’s homes that were struggling. He would drive to Regina on a Friday night after work and pick up his nephews for the weekend and drive them back on Sunday night in time for bed. He would help out in any way he could to anyone in need. He was in business for 65+ years in the area with many of his projects still in use and standing today! Ken always answered his phone, stood by his work and always followed thru. Even when the call came in at 3am and someone needed to be pulled out, -30C and the churches needed the parking lots cleared or someone’s water lines broke – no matter what day of the week Ken would show up.

A public graveside service for Ken was held at the Meridian Cemetery, south of Glen Ewen, SK. on Friday, July 7, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. with Mrs. Sandy Dalziel officiating. The graveside service will be followed by a Celebration of Life (later that same day) on Friday, July 7, 2023 starting at 3:30 p.m. at 68 Galloway Drive in Oxbow. 

If friends desire, donations in memory of Ken can be directed to the Bow Valley Villa, Box 207, Oxbow, SK. SOC 2BO.

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