Obituary of Ken Klassen

Mr. Joseph Kenneth Garry Klassen was born in Waterford, Ontario on October 3, 1943; he was the son of the late Jacob and Mary Ann (Larocque) Klassen.

Ken loved to be on the road driving, especially in his later years when his mobility started to give him trouble.

He loved driving to visit his children on a regular basis and would often talk about all the wildlife he saw in the fields along the way, while he waited for his black coffee to be made.

He loved to hunt and fish and would plan every year to go out to get a big one, but in his later years he never did get back out, but he wanted to.

He loved the Lord with all his heart and would spend countless hours writing, playing and singing many songs that reflected his deep gratitude on how much the Lord had changed him from the terrible sinner he once was to the man he now was.

He loved to play and have fun, and spent many days outside playing with his kids - sliding and building forts and fishing and tracking. He also loved a good game of crib and taught at least one of his children to play with him.

He preferred chicken over turkey at holidays and never turned down a good piece of chocolate cake or blue berry pie.

He was deeply committed to praying for his children daily and all of their loved ones, and often fell asleep in the middle of a prayer. He loved getting together with his pal and watching the hockey game and was convinced there was no team like the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Despite the fact that Ken was a very tough man, he had a soft spot for the Operation Smile Ministry and said if he were to win the lottery, after his family was taken care of, all the rest of it he would give to the kids that needed operations to have their smile fixed because it warmed his heart to see them smile afterwards.

Ken was a walking story book and will be greatly missed by everyone who was blessed to have met and known him. 

He will live on in the hearts of his children: Dietrich Klassen and his wife Janet of Sussex, John Klassen and his wife Julia of Highfield, Jennifer Cripps and her husband Tim of Newtown and Tracy Carhart and her husband Sydney of Sussex; the mother of his children, Linda Klassen (Jake) of Sussex; his grandchildren: Jacob Cripps (Kirsten), Channen Cripps, Kegan Klassen (Lindsay), Zachary Smith (Stephanie), Owen Klassen, Xavier Thompson (Hayley) and Syrus Klassen; his great granddaughter, Abigail Smith; his brothers: Jacob Klassen (Linda) of Sussex, John Klassen (Paulette) of Brantford, ON and Wilf Klassen (Linda) of Brantford, ON; as well as several nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Mr. Ken Klassen of Highfield, passed away at the Saint John Regional Hospital on April 2, 2023 at the age of 79.

Along with his parents, he is predeceased by his sister, Gail.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Wallace Funeral Home, 34 Sunnyside Drive, Sussex, NB (506-433-1176) from where a visitation will take place on Friday, April 7, 2023, from 6-8pm. The family will hold a celebration of Ken’s life from Corn Hill Baptist Church on Saturday, April 8 at 3:00pm.

Donations in memory of Ken may be made to Operation Smile Canada, or a charity of the donor’s choice. Personal condolences to the family and donations may be made through wallacefuneralhome.com.