More detail on this person: Kenneth Lee Strand
"Ken, Kenny and Kenneth," 68, was called to his
heavenly home on Friday, July 1, 2016, on his
wife's' and son Greg's birthdays at a local care
facility in Great Falls, MT. Ken had "fought the
good fight, he had finished the race, he had kept
the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7), as he battled
Parkinson's Disease, Type II Diabetes, and
Neuropathy due to his extensive exposure to Agent
Orange in Vietnam as an Army Jet Helicopter Pilot.
Visitation and viewing will be held on Friday,
July 8, 2016 from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Schnider
Funeral Home at 1510 13th St. So., Great Falls,
MT. Funeral services will be held Saturday, July
9, 2016 at 11:00 am at Bethel Lutheran Church.
Burial will follow at Big Willow Cemetery outside
of Belt, MT.
Ken was born on December 11, 1947 to Gorden
Albert and Irma Mae (Lowell) Strand in Denver, CO.
He was baptized on October 25, 1953 at Mt.
Calvary Lutheran Church in Denver, CO with his two
sisters, Wendy and Connie, by Pastor Alvin J.
Starke. His family moved to Great Falls, MT in
1957, and he resided in Great Falls the majority
of his life. Ken was confirmed on May 28, 1961, at
Trinity Lutheran Church by Pastor E. T. Leckband
in Great Falls. Ken graduated from C. M. Russell
High School in 1967 and was drafted into the
military on April 1, 1968 when he was told by the
Draft Board that this most assuredly was not an
April Fools' joke. Ken fell in love with his wife
after being drafted, and he married Patricia "Pat"
A. Morris on August 9, 1969, in Great Falls, MT,
and they were blessed with three children.
Ken retired from Benefis Healthcare as a Network
Administrator in 2009 due to health issues. He
also was a retired Policeman and Detective with
the Great Falls Police Department and had owned
and operated Big City Electronics with his
partner, Rolland Leitheiser. His military
education and training included Warrant Officer
Rotary Wing Aviator Course at Hunter Army
Airfield, GA, AH-1G Trans and Gunnery, Air Traffic
Control School at Kessler AFB, MS, WORWAC
(Primary) at Fort Wolters, TX, WORWAC
(Advanced) Hunter AAF, GA, Code of Conduct, Mil
Jus, CBR. Ken also was an air traffic controller,
a helicopter pilot, a Fixed Wing Instructor Pilot,
taught mountain flying courses, and was a licensed
test pilot. He served in the Army and Army Air
National Guard in Helena as a helicopter pilot.
While in the service, Ken was awarded many
decorations, medals, badges, and commendations
including the National Defense Service Medal, Army
Aviator Badge, Good Conduct Medal, Air Medal with
45 Oak Leaf Clusters, Bronze Star Medal, Army
Commendation Medal with V Device with 1 Oak
Leaf Cluster, Civic Actions Medal, Distinguished
Flying Cross, Marksman (Pistol .45 Cal), Expert
(Rifle M-14), Expert (Rifle M-16), GCMLD (1st
Award), and NDSM. On one of Ken's missions in
Vietnam, he single- handedly saved a whole troop
and received a plaque from the troop that said,
"Thank you for saving our a**." Ken also attended
MSU and majored in Electrical Engineering.
Following his education at MSU, he attended the
Novell Computer School and became a Novell
Network Certified Engineer.
Ken's favorite Bible verse was John 3:16, "For God
so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish
but have eternal life."
Ken was one of the "good guys" and was always
there to help others, had a great heart, a
beautiful smile, was generous in teaching others
computer skills, carpentry, mechanical work, and
even helping a friend to learn to throw the discus
when he was still in school. Using his skills, he
built two homes for his family in Great Falls and
a home for his sister in Palmer, AK, with logs
from Montana.
Ken loved his family, his church family,
relatives, and friends dearly. His hobbies
included camping, fishing, boating - especially on
his pontoon boat - and traveling extensively in
his RV from Montana to Alaska many times, as
well as Florida, before he was unable to travel
any longer.
Ken is survived by his loving wife of nearly 47
years, Pat; two sons, Greg (Diana) and Tim
(Nicole); four grandchildren, Adam, Audrey, Rogen
and Tragen; three sisters, Kathy (Lonnie) Oswalt
of Niceville, FL, Wendy (Dave) Carter of Palmer,
AK, and Connie (Jim) Baca of Greeley, CO; two
nieces; four nephews; aunts June Johnson of Rapid
City, SD and Zelda Strand of Hermosa, SD; uncle
Jerry DesJarlais of Kirkland, WA; 102-year old
mother-in-law, Inga Morris-Connolly of Great
Falls, MT; brother-in-law Bob (Gail) Morris of
Ulm, MT; and numerous cousins and their families.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Lisa
Sue Strand, his parents, five uncles and two
aunts.
Condolences for the family may be posted online at
www.SchniderFuneralHome.com
Burial:
Big Willow Cemetery
Belt
Cascade County
Montana, USA
This information was last updated 07/10/2016
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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