Kenneth Lyle Hoveland, resident of Grande Prairie, Alberta, passed away on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at the age of 82 years.

Ken was born on December 11, 1943, in Ryley, Alberta, in the very same farmhouse where his father had been born in 1919. He was the middle child of three boys, between his brothers, Don and Allen. His early years were spent moving back and forth between Alberta and British Columbia before the family eventually settled in the Grande Prairie area when the boys were teenagers.

Ken attended high school at Camrose Lutheran College and later went on to NAIT, where he became both a journeyman electrician and a journeyman instrumentation technician. While attending NAIT, he met Genny, the woman who would become his wife and lifelong partner. They were married in August of 1966, and their daughter Lorna followed in February of 1967.

Ken followed the family tradition of drywalling and also worked as an electrician. In the early 1970s, he moved his young family north to Grande Prairie, where he worked on the construction of the Procter & Gamble mill. During that project, he served as a liaison between the construction crew and the engineering firm Nystrom, Lee, Kobayashi—a role well suited to his practical knowledge, sharp mind, and ability to speak both the language of the trades and the language of the plans. He was later offered a permanent position with Procter & Gamble, which he accepted, and Grande Prairie became home.

Ken and Genny eventually built their family home in Grande Prairie. Not long after, as Fort McMurray was growing through the oil sands construction boom of the late 1970s, Ken saw an opportunity that was too good to pass up. He returned to construction, a profession he truly enjoyed and excelled at, working away in Fort McMurray while staying with his brother Allen and sister-in-law Marion. He would spend stretches of time working there, then return home to Grande Prairie and his family.

When the boom slowed, Ken returned to Grande Prairie and won the contract to install every door and all the bathroom hardware in the QEII Hospital. Ken was a remarkably gifted man with a brilliant, practical mind. Though some might call him a jack of all trades, Ken had a way of mastering whatever he put his hands to, whether it was electrical work, instrumentation, drywalling, construction, horses, or the countless other skills he gathered throughout his life. He was always learning, always hungry for knowledge, and always willing to share what he knew—whether you were ready for the full lesson or not. The family joke was that if you asked Ken for the time, he would give you the history of the clock first.

Horses were one of Ken’s lifelong loves. He and Genny owned land outside of Sexsmith, where they raised and cared for their horses, driving out every day to feed them and tend to them. Somehow, in true Ken fashion, they ended up with 52 head. They shared a special love for Straight Egyptian Arabians, a rare and magnificent breed, and were fortunate enough to purchase two mares through an estate sale.

When Ken and Genny began thinking about retirement, they sold the land outside Sexsmith and purchased land in the Shuswap, moving themselves and their remaining horses there. Most of the horses were sold, but they kept their treasured Straight Egyptian Arabians. Their plan was to raise and sell the foals as part of their retirement income—a life built around the animals and the work Ken never seemed quite ready to stop doing.

As life moved forward, Lorna married Warren, and Ken and Genny welcomed their first grandchild, Ashley. Though the Shuswap had been meant to be their retirement place, the distance from their daughter and granddaughter proved to be too much. Family, as always, pulled them closer.

Ken found work in the forest industry again, this time at the Weyerhaeuser mill in Grande Cache, and he and Genny moved there to be nearer to Lorna, Warren, and Ashley.

During their time in Grande Cache, Ken also became involved in the early beginnings of what would become the Canadian Death Race. He helped shape the idea in its earliest stages and was a steady volunteer in the beginning years, helping Dr. Keith Darcel and Dale Tuck with the practical logistics needed to turn a wild idea into a lasting community event.

When their grandson Ronan arrived, even Grande Cache felt too far away. Ken and Genny returned once again to Grande Prairie, where they remained.

In later years, Ken found another meaningful way to serve his community. A man of faith, he believed in helping where help was needed. After Lorna became involved with Everybody Eats in GP, a Sunday meal program for people in need, Ken saw a way to help beyond that one day a week. In true Ken fashion, he took the idea and ran with it, starting what became known as the Daily Bread Run. He arranged with local stores to collect day-old bread, fruit, eggs, and other food that could still be used, then delivered it to people and organizations that needed it, including the Friendship Centre, Sunrise House, St. Lawrence Centre, and Wapiti House. It was practical, humble service—no fuss or spotlight, just Ken seeing a need and doing something about it.

Ken’s funeral service will be held on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. at Oliver’s Funeral Home in Grande Prairie (10005-107 Ave), preceded by a viewing at 11:00 a.m. Following the service, friends are invited to join the family for a luncheon in Oliver’s Tea Room. Afterward, burial will take place at the Valhalla Cemetery.