September 17, 1951 - November 11, 2023
In loving memory ~
Kenneth William Slaunwhite, or Ken, Kenny, Howdy, or Howie depending if you met him back East or out West, born September 17, 1951 has passed away peacefully at his home in Port Alberni on November 11, 2023. Pre-deceased by his mother Irene, father Bud, brother Brian, and girlfriend Lois.
Howie was born in Kentville Nova Scotia and in the early 1970's, near the end of high school, he headed out west with his friends for adventure. They ended up in the Fernie/Cranbrook area. After a quick trip back home to drop some "friends" off at his parent's place, he returned to Fernie and got a job pounding spikes for the CPR.
After a summer and winter sleeping in the CPR bunk houses, he quit and started hitchhiking around the area. With hair down to his waist, he was standing on the side of Highway 93 with his thumb out when he was picked up by a cowboy named Jack Cutts. He was asked if he knew how to ride horses. He couldn't but Jack Cutts was satisfied he could teach a long-haired hippy the ways. Staying out at Jack Cutt's cabin wrangling cattle were the best summer and winter of his life. "No booze and no women" he'd like to say. Eventually, a woman did show up, and she asked him to help catch her horse. They had two children Michael and Jennifer, and in 1978 he got a millwright apprenticeship at the Sparwood coal mine. This was the start of his 40 year career as a millwright.
Eventually relocating his family to Vancouver Island, he got a job at the Port Alberni pulp and paper mill. He met a girl named Lois and they spent their years camping and beach combing. During this time he greeted into the world grandsons and granddaughters Jake and Amanda who he thought the world of. And after a short fear of having no Slaunwhite boys to hand his father's "war medals" down to, he had grandsons River, Bear, Fox, and granddaughter Juniper. He'd make the trek across the mountain passes of BC to pay a visit.
Once again he found himself with "no booze and no women" so he got himself a dog, Nelly. She was by his side for the rest of his time. Right to his last breath. His ashes will be spread at Sheep Mountain, overlooking the old Jack Cutts grazing cattle pasture.
Back to the place where he had the best years of his life. "No booze, No women"