Kenneth "Ken" Bishop

First and foremost, Kenneth Ken Bishop was a family man: he loved his two daughters equally and unconditionally, and many of his happiest memories in life involve the sixty years he spent with his beloved wife. Ken had a natural social talent that always left people charmed and smiling, and he was a good friend to the many people he knew throughout his life. The year was 1923 gas was 20 cents a gallon in the U.S. and a first-class stamp was only 2 cents. Abroad, Adolf Schicklgruber (Hitler) was writing Mein Kampf while in prison for attempting to overthrow the German government and a man named Mussolini was gaining power in Italy. These events would eventually play a role in little Kens life. But they were far from the hearts and minds of his parents, Richard and Margaret (Brass) Bishop, on December 7, 1923, the day Ken was born. Ken was one of four children and grew up in Grand Haven, Michigan, in the company of his sister, Elfreda, and two brothers, Clarence and George. As a young adult, Ken followed the same patriotic calling of other young men of the time, and enlisted in the U.S. Army. While proudly serving his country, Ken worked as a photographer and had the opportunity to attend a USO Tour stateside in which Dick Van Dyke threw a pie in Kens face, as part of his act. Although this was certainly an unforgettable memory, nothing could overshadow the moment he saw his beloved wife-to-be, Minnie Belle Downes, for the first time. It happened when Ken was stationed at Fort Sill in Oklahoma and he was walking past a local pharmacy at the same time as Minnie. And as they say, the rest is history. Ken and Minnie were married on July 7, 1945, and spent the next 60 years making each other very happy. While Ken was still in the service, the newlyweds made their home in many different places. In fact, one year they moved 6 times. On one occasion, Ken received a new assignment in California, and after moving there, Minnie followed 2 weeks later only to find out he had new orders to move again. A year after being married, Ken and Minnie welcomed the birth of their first child, a daughter they named Margaret Kay. She was joined seven years later by their second daughter, Pam, who completed the Bishop household. Upon his discharge from the military they moved back to Michigan. Ken went to work at Gardner Denver as a Toolkeeper until 1980 when he accepted an early retirement, as the company was relocating out of state. Not one to be idle, Ken went to work as a security guard at the Consumers Energy Power Plant, where he was well liked by everyone. When his workday was done, Ken would go home and help take care of his girls while his wife, Minnie, worked in her business, making drapes, slipcovers, etc. Whenever needed, Ken would help her hang the curtain rods and drapes for her clients. Besides being a good provider for his family, Ken was a devoted and attentive father. His daughters have many wonderful childhood memories with their dad. Pam fondly remembers the many early morning fishing trips with her dad, and he always made sure to bring a raft along for the girls to play on in the water. A big kid at heart, Ken liked to cuddle with his grandkids as they watched the Muppets and ate popcorn every night. When it came to getting away, the family enjoyed spending time at their cottage and boating on Twin Lake, and they also headed south to Texas every 2 years to visit Minnies family. Although work kept him busy, Ken always made time for his girls. He was a chauffer for them pretty much their entire lives, a task he truly enjoyed. This task carried over to even his grandchildren, which he was blessed with later in life. Outside of his family, Ken had many hobbies he enjoyed. Since his days as a photographer in the Army, Ken would take the family photos and develop them in his dark room in the house. Some of their family portraits were also painted by Minnie, which were said to be beautiful! Eventually, Ken also became an avid stamp collector with a huge portfolio, as well as a passionate rock collector. Over the years, he collected, polished and made beautiful jewelry out of his impressive collection. He even took trips out west to find rare stones and the family often vacationed up north so they could dig for Petoskey stones. Something else Ken was passionate about was watching sports, and he could get quite riled by some of the calls that were made. He voiced his opinion by yelling at the TV, which often disturbed the grandchildren and ultimately got him banned from watching sports around his family. If you thought talking back to the TV was loud, his grandkids said his snoring was just as bad!! When he slept in his recliner, they said the world could hear him snore! As Ken aged, it seemed his patience grew thinner. Then, in the early 1990s, he was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease, which helped explained his change in behavior. Ken was a member of St. Johns Episcopal Church and Grand Haven American Legion. Ken and Minnie had a wonderful marriage, and on the occasion of their 50th anniversary, the couple took a cruise to Puerto Rico, which Ken hadnt seen since his days in the Army. Sadly, Ken lost his beloved wife Minnie on June 10, 2006, after 60 years of marriage. Ken touched everyones life that he came in contact with and he will be deeply missed. Kenneth R. Bishop, age 84, died on Sunday, August 17, 2008. He is survived by his 2 daughters: Kay (Dr. Donald) Wilton of Grand Haven & Pam (Oussama) Naccache of North Muskegon; 8 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren; many nieces & nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Minnie, 2 brothers, Clarence & George, and a sister, Elfreda Rice. Services for Ken will be held on Wednesday, August 20, at 11:00 a.m. in Clock Chapel at Clock Life Story Funeral Home Grand Haven, with Rev. John E Laycock officiating. Interment will be at Lake Forest Cemetery. Relatives and friends may visit his family on Tuesday, August 19, from 6-8 p.m. at Clock Life Story Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of North Ottawa or Parkinson's Association. Please visit Kens personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a memory with his family or sign his online guest book.