Kenneth Christensen

Kenneth (Ken) Christensen, age 85, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family, on June 12th, 2023, at his home in Westport.

Ken was a self-made man and a credit to his generation. He was a go-getter from an early age. At 18, he started his own construction company (Ken’s Construction). At the same time, he built a home and several motel units and called it Ken’s Hilltop.

He met and married his bride, Bernice, more than 50 years ago. They were partners in love, life, and business, and together they made a wonderful life and raised a family. In the late 1970s, Ken and Bernice turned the motel into rentals. Ken decided to change his career path and bought a shop in Aberdeen. He bought and sold equipment, working also as a blacksmith and running the shop with Bernice. Traveling regularly between Westport and Aberdeen provided him with the opportunity to interact with a variety of people and to attend numerous auctions and swap meets. He was business savvy and loved to wheel and deal with great skill, resulting in a successful outcome for both parties.

When he could take a break from work, he loved to travel with his youngest daughter Kathryn (Casey), and two of his grandsons, Isaac and Hudson. After making the decision to retire, he was too full of energy and life, not to take up hobbies to keep him busy. He had a great appreciation for antique tractors. Not only did he collect them, but he could repair a tractor that hadn’t run for years and make it show-worthy. He was a dedicated member of a small engine tractor club, and he enjoyed talking about and showing his tractors at shows in Grays Harbor and surrounding counties. He loved taking his grandson Isaac with him to the tractor shows from when Isaac was a toddler through his early adulthood.

Ken was an extremely generous man with his knowledge. He could take something broken and make it like new again. He treasured teaching the younger generations of his family and those he mentored.

He is survived by his wife Bernice Christensen, his daughters Kathryn (Casey) Hartill (Toby), Lisa Christensen, Cindy Long (Fred), and Jaymie Hirsch (Doug), numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and Buster the cat. He is preceded in death by his son Wayne Christensen.

In lieu of flowers or donations, please mentor or share a valuable skill with a family member or friend in Ken’s honor. A celebration of life for his family will be held later this year. Arrangements have been entrusted to Twibell's Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen, Washington. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Kenneth Christensen, please visit our flower store.