Kenneth Fred Bjorkquist

Kenneth Fred Bjorkquist, of Pewaukee, Wisconsin - perhaps the kindest soul you could meet - peacefully passed away on July 25, 2024, at the age of 92, eight months after a debilitating stroke. Ken was the middle child of Mabel (nee Hacker) and Ted Bjorkquist of Des Plaines, Illinois.



He is survived and will be sorely missed by his wife, Mary Wyn (nee Koski); children: John Nels (Carrie May Poniewaz) and Lara (Matthew) Gehl; and grandchildren: Adelaide, August, and Penelope. Ken deeply cared for his nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his older brother Richard "Dick" (Lois), and younger sister Mary Lou (Casey) Kason; he had strong relationships with each of them.



Ken met Mary Wyn, his wife of 53 years, when she was organizing a ski club at the high school where she taught, and he was the trip chairman of the local ski club. They married in June 1971, and honeymooned on Mackinac Island, Michigan; they returned approximately every 5 years to celebrate their marriage. Ken marveled at Mary Wyn's intellect, memory, and determination. Landing such an accomplished, beautiful, and loving wife was Ken's greatest achievement and is testament to his caring and fun personality. Ken adored his children and showed them greater love, support, and patient attention than most fathers of his generation. Ken cherished his time and visits with his grandchildren. His unabashed love and support will be deeply missed by each of them.



Ken's eyes twinkled and his warm smile invited friendship. He was dependable, forthright, earnest, and quick with a joke. He shared his father's knack for tinkering and handyman repairs and his mother's frugality and devotion to doing what is right and what must be done. A Renaissance man, Ken loved polka, Dixieland jazz, and bluegrass music; he was a fantastic dancer - so much so that he needed a knee replacement after dancing too much at his daughter's wedding. He was a classically terrible gift-giver, although Mary Wyn could always count on him for a greeting card bearing Peanuts characters.



Ken dressed to the nines for airplane travel and shined his shoes every morning before work, although exhibited questionable taste in yard work attire. Ken would never turn down a peanut-butter-on-rye sandwich, a cold German lager, or a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Thanks to him, there was always a bowl of green grapes on the kitchen table, a box of pretzels in the dining room, and a package of licorice in the cabinet. Ken enjoyed planning adventurous family vacations, including canoeing and camping in the Canadian Boundary Waters, ski weeks in Colorado and Utah, tropical Hawaiian and Mexican vacations, houseboating in Kentucky, European river cruises, a tour of China, and many points in between.



Ken's early summers were spent escaping the Chicago area to his aunt and uncle's farm in northern Wisconsin, where he developed lifelong friendships with his cousins. He graduated Maine High School (Des Plaines, Illinois) in 1949 and remained in touch with classmates as a contributor to the class newsletter. Despite being an earnest young man and diligent student, Ken broke most of the strict conduct code restrictions at Cornell College (Mount Vernon, Iowa) with a cadre of close pals with whom for 70 years he regularly reunited for fishing, skiing, and golfing. Ken earned his MBA from the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management (Evanston, Illinois) via night classes while working at People's Gas in Chicago.



Ken's long work history was wide-ranging: paperboy; greenhouse attendant; bartender; traveling bandage salesman; traveling silo salesman; adjunct lecturer in the business school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; and business market analyst for Oshkosh Truck, Emerson Electric, and Waukesha Bearings. Ken was an early adopter of computers and a spreadsheet wizard. He retired from Waukesha Bearings on his 65th birthday, after taking each Friday of the previous year off to golf.



Ken was deeply involved in the Vagabond Ski Club during his younger years, planning trips to the Upper Peninsula and the European Alps and organizing a ski jump event in downtown Milwaukee near the Pfister Hotel. Ken enjoyed his bachelor summers by renting a boathouse apartment on Pewaukee Lake with his buddies and spent that time sailing, singing, and carousing with good friends. This sparked a lifelong love of sailing; he raced with the Pewaukee Yacht Club in the 1980s until his frustration of chasing the leaders' sterns persuaded him to focus on daysailing. Ken volunteered for leadership positions in Toastmasters International for 50 years and would frequently point out if his kids used too many 'verbal pauses'.

Ken was an avid golfer his whole adult life and spent 30 years golfing and making memories with the Naga-Waukee Men's Club. In 2002, he had to give up his "amateur" status after winning $5,000 in a 50-foot putting contest, thereby becoming a "professional golfer". Even in his last season of golf at age 91, he played each week; he was a tough competitor who hit every shot straight. Ken enjoyed tennis, excelled at bowling, and was a horseshoe pitching ace. On the basketball court, Ken's ability to leap for rebounds, his creative defense, and his patented up-and-under move were impressive. Ken was a lifelong cyclist and enjoyed several ill-advised adventures and expeditions with his son, all of which turned out to be fantastic experiences - even if walking afterwards was a bit tricky. He visited the YMCA of Waukesha multiple times per week and enjoyed Taco Tuesdays with his buddies after his workouts on those days.



In his own words, Ken has shared: "I want my friends and family to know we have had a wonderful life together, I love them dearly, and wish them joy, love, and happiness for the rest of their lives."



Ken's wife and children are planning a Celebration of Life event to honor Ken's life and legacy in Pewaukee on September 7, 2024. Family and friends are invited to contact Lara for details, share a story, or send along any photographs: LWGehl@gmail.com.