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OBITUARY
KENNETH MARTIN PLETT
January 31, 1948 – February 27, 2023
75 years
Ken was the 9th child of 11 children born to Peter and Elizabeth Plett living in Southern Manitoba. He was the firstborn of the second set of twins in the family. Ken said he was taken to church before he was born and had always heard about God and his need for a Savior. It was his brother, Alvin, that finally helped him to cement that step into a personal relationship with God. He who is forgiven much, loves much and Ken thanked God daily for his forgiving grace.
Ken was a prairie farm boy from Manitoba through the through. He loved the wide-open spaces and to work in the dirt cultivating beauty through his beautiful flower gardens.
His heart was to please God. When his Aunt Suzanne died in Brazil during her missionary service, the call was to the family to take her place. He wanted to go where the love of God through Christ’s death on the cross was never heard.
Ken is not one to be patient, and when he decided on something he did it. When he met Susan his first date was in March, engaged in April, and married in August of 1970. Ken experienced the goodness of God with his wife, Susan, for more than 52 years. If there was ever a ‘marriage made in Heaven’ this one was!
Ken and Susan had 2 precious children the Indonesians called coffee and cream, Jason and Desi. This couple shared a lifetime of experiences in the beautiful Island country of Indonesia where they served with New Tribes Mission (now Ethnos Canada) from 1970 to 1982. In 1982 they returned to Canada where God provided a little house on the prairie while Ken worked for his brothers in construction.
Ken was a fixer. He could fix anything and if he didn’t know how, he’d find a way because of his dogged determination. He was good at construction, but being light in body, it wasn’t his passion. He loved a challenge and was a problem solver, so he trained in the telecommunication field. This opened an opportunity to work for Manitoba Telephone where he labored for 17 years until he retired in 2008. God used his time as a field service technician to get over his shyness and begin to really enjoy meeting and getting to know people.
Ken was a soup maker. He would make a big pot at the beginning of the week, and which was the daily lunch fare. There was a jar left that our family ate together in his memory. He was a good provider.
Ken loved his wife and family. This was reflected by his daily prayers for his children and grandchildren. He loved serving them by fixing things or doing things they needed around the house. He with the help of John and Gilbert completely remodeled their house just last summer.
Ken was not one for quiet, so when he came into the house, he always put some kind of music or the radio on. He also loved music and often serenaded his wife on his autoharp.
He wanted to retire early so he could volunteer. This took them to Florida during the winter months, so they could, not only volunteer at the Mission Headquarters, but visit family and friends who live there. There he developed deep friendships and honed his skills in the electrical field. They also volunteered in Brazil for a couple of weeks and returned to Indonesia for a year. Ken and his wife continued to volunteer for Ethnos Canada helping in the member care department. Though Ken, by nature was a home body, he enjoyed travels to many places in Canada, the United States, Israel, Philippines, Mexico, the Caribbean and even China. These trips enriched his life with many friendships all over the world.
Psalm 139: 16 says “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
God called him home Monday, February 27 in just the way he wanted it…. he wanted to go first, quickly, and at home with his beloved wife by his side. Ken, you will live on in our hearts through the precious memories we shared over the years.
Those who went on before Ken were his parents, Peter and Elizabeth Plett, sister Elvira, Brother-in-Law, Jim Bailey, and many treasured nieces and nephews. Ken will be lovingly remembered and sadly missed by many, but especially his beloved wife, Susan, Son Jason (Jodi), daughter Desi (Rob) and grandchildren, Jentzen (Sarah), Jordan, Grace, Arden, and Carter. His siblings, Lillian, Evangeline, Alvin (Martha), Gilbert (Alice), Les (Sandy), John (Sharon), Peter (Cecile), Dennis (Donna), Reg (Charlene) and many nieces and nephews and their families.
Donations can be made in Ken’s memory to Ethnos Canada, the mission he served with. It will be placed in a fund for Indonesian missionaries to subsidize their flight costs.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Kenneth Martin Plett, please visit our floral store.
Ethnos Canada
313363 Highway 6 S, Durhan ON N0G 1R0
Tel: 1-519-369-2622
Web: https://ethnos.ca/give/