KEN PHILLIPS

1956 - 2012

Kenneth Dale Phillips, beloved husband of Deb Phillips and the late Dalene Phillips both of Vauxhall, passed away peacefully in Brooks on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at the age of 55 years.
The Funeral Service will be held at the Vauxhall Community Hall, 417 - 4 Street North, Vauxhall on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at 11:00 A.M. with Reverend Alana Johnson officiating. A private family burial to follow at the Vauxhall Cemetery.
Ken is survived by his loving wife, Deb and his mother Katie Ayling of Watino. He was a loving father to Judy (Craig) Parker of Coaldale, Kimberly Phillips of Lethbridge, Joe (Rebecca) Claeys of Grande Prairie, Lana (B.J.) Smith of Brooks, Allison (Jay) Maloney of Vauxhall, Vivian (Daniel) Robinson of Okotoks and Brad (Kelly) Sawka of Vauxhall; a loving grandfather to Sarah and Daylen Parker, Hayden and Blake Smith and Jaycee Claeys. Ken is also survived by his siblings Debbie (Bert) Jacob, Peggy (Claude) Langlois, Bill (Iona) Phillips; grandmother Mary Sawka; Dalene’s parents Dale and Dorothy Rombough and family as well as his uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was predeceased by his first wife Dalene; father Arthur Phillips and step-father Alan Ayling.
Ken was born May 4, 1956 at the McLennan Hospital and was raised in Watino in Northern Alberta. At age seventeen, with only a few dollars in his pocket from his loving mother, Ken headed south. Although he came south to start his life-long career in the oil patch, he soon fell in love with the country and his first wife Dalene Ann Rombough. They were married on September 6, 1975 and settled in Vauxhall where they lovingly raised two beautiful daughters. Ken loved his work and was a very hard worker. He was promoted to tool push at a young age and ran a great crew. In 1995, Ken left the rigs and started his own business, Phillips Oilfield Service. Ken wouldn’t ask his guys to do anything that he wasn’t willing to do himself and he always gave people chances. He earned the respect of many and made a lot of friends along the way. After Dalene’s passing, Ken found love again with Deb Claeys. They were together for many years before making it official on September 28, 2010. His true passion in life was for his ever expanding family. He especially loved spending time with his grandchildren. He was very active and enjoyed travelling, camping and quadding with both friends and family. He generously volunteered his time and equipment to the community that he cared deeply about. In the last few years he also enjoyed volunteering as a fireman with the Vauxhall Emergency Services. If you had the pleasure of spending some quality time with Ken you would have experienced his unique sense of humour. If you needed help, he would drop everything to lend a hand. He will be remembered as a tough guy with a great big heart. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him including his loving dog Rosco.
If friends so desire, memorial tributes in Ken’s name may be made directly to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, c/o Tom Baker Cancer Centre (Melanoma Research), 1331 - 29 Street N.W., Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N2 or to the Brooks & District Health Foundation (Palliative Care), 440 - 3 Street East, Brooks, Alberta T1R 1B3.