Kenneth Hooker, Sr., age 87, of Isanti died July 10, 2013 at home. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, July 20th at First Baptist Church in St. Francis. Burial will be in Breckenridge, Colorado.
Kenneth Phillip Hooker, Sr. was born to Bryan and Etta Hooker on March 30, 1926 in Denver, Colorado and went home to be with the Lord on July 10, 2013.
Ken was raised in his younger years in eastern Colorado. During his junior year of high school he left school because of the war effort and moved to Washington State with an uncle to work for Boeing Aircraft. Going back to school, he graduated from South High School in Denver in 1947.
He served in the Army in Washington, DC in the Signal Corp. After his discharge, he married Shirley Martin on September 10, 1950 at the Christensen Ranch in Dillon, Colorado. He worked for the Bureau of Reclamation until 1951. They moved to Denver and lived there until 1955, when they moved to Grand Junction, Colorado. He worked for Public Service Co. of Colorado (now Excel Energy) for 30 years. He also owned and worked a small peach orchard. In 1979 he was transferred to Pawnee Power Plant in Brush, Colorado where he was a maintenance supervisor and was lovingly known as “Gramps”.
Ken loved fishing, hunting, skiing and camping with his family. After retiring in 1986, Ken and Shirley made several moves helping family and friends whenever they could. Their last move in 2004 was to Isanti, Minnesota to the “Gramma” house on the farm of their son-in-law and daughter, Lyle and Nancy Peterson.
Ken was a quiet man who loved the Lord. He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Shirley; his children, Ken, Jr. (Sue) of Grand Junction, CO, Nancy (Lyle) Peterson of Isanti, Richard (Jan) of Endicott, WA; 12 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Wanda of Palisade, CO; by many nieces and nephews as well as many friends.