Kenneth Bertram

Mr. Bertram was my favorite teacher at Oaklands Elementary. He taught me the importance of saying "yes" over "yeah" and encouraged my admittedly overzealous use of the early Apple computer that sat in the hall. He left us all far too early.

I taught school with Ken in Lake Cowichan. He came into my class once a week to teach music. It was the highlight of our week. He always entered with loud singing and jumping around. Right away we knew that he loved music and teaching. My fiancee and I became friends of Ken, and he played the organ at our wedding in April 1967. We attended the piano recital for Ken's graduation at UBC. He also played classical pieces at parties in Lake Cowichan. We always exchanged letters with Ken at...

Ken was an extremely generous man who always cared about the feelings and well-being of others.The kindness he showed to his students was amazing and by the outpourings of condolences one can see how much he was appreciated.Ken was very kind and giving to my own children who were saddened and requested to attend his memorial gathering.Wherever Ken is now I'm sure he'll have an appreciative audience listening to his wonderful tunes being played.

I remember what a wonderful experience it was to work with Ken in "Guys and Dolls." The hotbox girls routines were something else. I remember Ken's laughter took so little to trigger. We'll miss him.

I taught with Ken for many years at Oaklands Elementary School in Victoria. When I think of Ken, I remember his high energy and intelligent approach to life. Ken liked to sit at the same table in the staff room during school recess and lunch breaks. Ken's table had the most interesting and varied discussions and the the most laughter. It was the place be recharged. Thank you, Ken, for sharing yourself with us. We'll miss you.

I had the pleasure of teaching in a room next door to Ken for over 10 years at Oaklands Elementary School in Victoria, BC. He was an excellent teacher with a great sense of humor. Each year every member of his class would carve jack-o-lanterns for all the primary children to see. Once Ken's class missed their gym period because of an assembly in the gym. I suggested to Ken that his grade fours could come with my grade twos in our gym period. It worked out well and both classes were...

The Celebration of Life held in Ken's honour reflected his wide and diverse impact on so many people. Thankyou to everyone who came and celebrated his life with us.
What characteristics captures the essence of a person. For Ken it was his curiosity, fairness, determination, enthusiasm, high standards and much more. As his Sister I will miss his yearly delivery of homeade jams. He went early in the morning to pick in the Saanich area to all his favourite farms. Even entering and...

My Uncle Ken was an incredible person. I learned of his profound influence on so many people at the recent Celebration of Life for him. His love of music was infectious and he was always interested if I was still playing the flute. I recently brought it out from storage and played a tune in his memory. He will be greatly missed. Thank-you to everyone who have shared their thoughts with us on this guestbook.

I met Ken a few months ago and I will always remember him as a man of intelligence,compassion and one that showed great consideration for others. I couldn't help but be amazed by the courage he showed in facing his illness and it was also very apparent that he had a great love for his family. From the Celebration of Life, I learned about the impact he had on so many lives and what an incredible person he was. My regret is that time did not allow me to know him longer and to have the privilege...