Kenny Louie

Kenneth J. Louie

Kenny

Kenny Louie was a skier, an Alta man through and through who, for decades, routinely skied more than 100 days a year, never so much as hurting a knee. But late last ski season he was diagnosed with a rare and insidious form of cancer that, try as he might, he could not outrace. The monster claimed Kenny on August 20, 2025. He was a youthful 71.

Born on February 6, 1954 in Salt Lake City to William Wing and Merrie Okamura Louie, their second son followed by five girls, Kenny attended Millcreek Elementary before moving to St. Ann School in the third grade. He graduated from Judge Memorial Catholic High School in 1972. Kenny entered the workforce after Judge, employed for five years by Marron and Associates before joining The Williams Companies and later Kennecott. He developed a specialty as a draftsman designing pump stations for the Bingham Canyon Mine and gold mines in Nevada. This was work he often could do at home at night on a drafting table in his one room not overflowing with recreational gear – every pair of skis he ever owned, canoes, backpacks, tents, coolers, etc. Thus Kenny was free to ski on any winter day he wished (powder days were never missed) or to stagger his work schedule to allow for two-week floats through the Grand Canyon or lengthy sojourns to Hawaii.

His lifestyle became known to friends as the "Life of Lu," a phrase he adopted as his email address.

Kenny caught the ski bug early. As a kindergartner, his parents enrolled him in a learn-to-ski program conducted at Brighton. Before long, he was riding exuberantly up Alta lifts run by his uncles, Buck Sasaki, Les Fuller and Joe Okamura. For years he whizzed past buildings designed by his architect father (Alf's Restaurant, Alta ticket office, Albion Day Lodge, the old Alpenglow Restaurant), usually in the company of cousins, siblings or an array of good skiers who appreciated Kenny's penchant for taking on whatever the mountain had to offer in his laid-back style. Kenny was known to have an entourage.

He was forever proud of the first pair of skis he bought on his own: Head 360s. He was sly enough to learn at a young age how to cut long lift lines so subtly most people didn't notice. More importantly, from having spent so much time on the mountain, Kenny had a true knack for predicting where the snow was likely to be good on a given day, in a given hour, figuring in how the wind had moved flakes around and how clouds and sun angles affected the snowpack. He just knew that stuff.

Kenny also was a visible presence for half a century in the locker room beneath Goldminer's Daughter – gearing up most days with his sister, Lisa, and wife, Jan. He was known for being quietly friendly to all. Deep down he was shy.

Family was important to Kenny. Growing up, the Louies were a closely-knit bunch, particularly when it came to sharing big meals reflecting their American melting-pot heritage as descendants of Chinese, Japanese and Mexican immigrants. As an adult, Kenny made time to organize special trips with his sisters. He exposed them, as he did his nieces, nephews and in-laws, to the wonders of nature that so excited him: The Wind Rivers, Glacier, Needles, the Maze, Great Basin, Albion Basin to name a few iconic Western locations. He was the mastermind behind a series of highly memorable trips to Long Lake in the Winds with his closest friends. He planned expeditions to remote, dark locations to get exceptional views of meteorite showers and eclipses. The most impactful trip of his life took him to Death Hollow in southern Utah. Kenny had agreed to help Katie Mitchell – whom he had met at the old Watson's Shelter in a case of mistaken identity – to negotiate the strenuous hike along with her sister and teenage niece. That sister was Jan Orme. A relationship formed that trip between Kenny and Jan that evolved over time from simple friendship to true love, culminating in their marriage on November 10, 2001.

Of special significance was an October 1998 outing he put together at Arches National Park. The three-day affair attracted nearly 50 members of the extended Louie family and close friends, headlined by the presence of Will and Merrie. What a joy it was for Kenny to take his folks into the Fiery Furnace.

One of the nastiest aspects of Kenny's disease was that it robbed him of his ability to enjoy eating. Kenny loved to eat. All kinds of food, but especially Asian. Tuesday lunch at the Koyo was a staple. And each February one local restaurant or another was treated to a large group gathering for his birthday. When he had a boat, he would take fishing trips to Lake Powell and then host bass fries at his apartment for scores. Friends would roll their eyes when Kenny would say periodically "I don't eat as much as I used to," perplexed how he could keep trim despite that appetite. It had to be all that exercise he got, much while getting to know just about every bit of Alta through skiing or hiking. A skilled photographer, he built an impressive slideshow of wildlife, scenic vistas and wildflowers.

Missing him terribly will be his survivors, widow, Jan; her daughter, Lara Orme; brother, Gordon (Sharon); sisters, Maria (Jim Kier); Cindi (Dan Kaschmitter); Lisa (Paul Cisneros); Teresa (Richard) Leigh; and Melanie; nieces and nephews, Willie (Anna) Louie; Kelli (Tracy) Louie; Alex (Nancy) Kaschmitter; Niki Kaschmitter; William (Celine) Cisneros; Taylor Leigh; Christopher Leigh; Anna (Dean) Quill; Doogie (Sheena) Castillo; and Michael (Shay) Castillo; and Jan's sisters, Ann Holbrook; Ruth Kadas; Katie (Rodger) Mitchell; and Lela (Larry) Matson. Great stories and warm memories will be shared about Uncle Kenny with his grand nieces and nephews including Peter Castillo, Jasmine Castillo, Grace Castillo, Ezra Castillo, Oliver Quill, Madeleine Louie, Stella Kaschmitter, Esti Kaschmitter, Jack Louie and Theo Louie.

The family would like to thank Dr. Nicholas Hanson at Alpine Medical Group, Dr. Jeffrey Patterson-Fortin, Alexis Keo, Thuy Pham, Rebecca Cuniberti and the other doctors, nurses and staff at Huntsman Cancer Institute for their loving care of Kenny.

Kenny's viewing will be held September 16 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Ann Church, 450 East 2100 South, with Recitation of the Holy Rosary at 11:30 a.m. followed by his Funeral Mass at noon. His Celebration of Life will take place that evening from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East. Kenny will be buried next to his parents at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park. Share your photos and memories with his family at www.starksfuneral.com

Donations in Kenny's name may be made to Huntsman Cancer Institute or to Alta Ski Patrol in thanks for many years of keeping Kenny safe.