Kenneth KROGH

1949 - 2023

Spokane Valley - On a mild and sunny August day on the eve of the golden decade of the 50s, Kenneth Ronald Krogh entered the world in Spokane, Washington, a town fueled by mining, farming, and logging where life moved just a little bit slower. After first residing on Spokane's South Hill, Ken spent his formative years roaming the hardscrabble streets of the Hillyard neighborhood. Television had yet to capture young boys' imagination allowing Ken, his cousins and friends, cloaked in pompadours and fedoras, to find mischief and fun while ruling the streets of Bismark and Crestline Avenues. The middle of five siblings, all with the initials of KRK, Ken entered his teenage years living on a farm in Post Falls. Endless chores and a lack of resources made it difficult for Ken to indulge his sweet tooth and partake in the world's greatest creation - ice cream, but the clever tricks he picked up in Hillyard paid sweet dividends in his rural environment. Unforeseen circumstances forced the sale of the family farm and Ken returned to his old stomping grounds in Hillyard to complete his senior year and graduate from Rogers High School in 1967. While sad to leave his Post Falls friends behind, Ken managed to see the positive side of escaping the early morning farm schedule. After graduating with a modest performance (no need to show off), Ken was eager to venture out into the world and make his own way which aligned well with his dad's insistence. Ken caught on with Burlington Northern Railroad, traveling the railines of the northwest maintaining the signals. The tracks led him to a destination previously unknown, True Love, where he met an enticing young lass by the name of Verna Jean Rawson in Ridgefield, WA. Inevitably marriage followed, and a silly stork soon came knocking with a C.O.D. delivery by the name of Carrie Lynn. The young family lived briefly in Vancouver and then Burien, with Carrie enjoying the first of her several closet bedrooms she would have over the years, before moving back to the not quite as prosperous Spokane to secure their future. This is where Ken learned his investment planning strategy of buying high and selling low. Ken worked for a masonry company with his brother-in-law for a few months before learning that those seasonal Spokane jobs did not pay the rent for the full year. Ken enrolled at Spokane Community College in hopes of eventually finding steady work, and started turning his eye toward police work. In the meantime, Ken washed cars and cleaned offices with Verna in order to make ends meet and that experience provided more than enough motivation for Ken to continue his trek toward steady employment. As luck would have it, Spokane was selected to host the Expo '74 World's Fair. Not only was the downtown railyard transformed to the crown jewel of the City park system, but the City embarked on an ambitious plan of cleaning up its image by bringing in an ambitious young class of rookie police officers. Never one to pass up a good opportunity, Ken took the test. While Ken was never proficient at tests, the hiring powers believed it wise to hire him rather than spend all their time chasing him. While initially an opportunity for a steady paycheck with good benefits, police work grew on Ken and he began to take pride in his work, though he never relinquished that wry smile and eagerness to instigate trouble with a gleam in his eye. In 1974 a second child, Ryan Grover, arrived on the scene. Ken's new job helped the family along and shortly thereafter Verna secured a union job at Safeway. While the young couple had the financial stability they were looking for, the difficult shifts sometimes made things challenging. Ken and his partner Dave Moore patrolled the streets of Spokane and while the partnership on the force didn't last, Ken couldn't bring himself to leave Dave on his own and they remained lifelong friends. Ken's police work would often lead him to acquaintances from the old neighborhood, where, in the interest of positive outcomes, Ken would suggest to the individuals that they make different life choices. Ken was typically very persuasive. In 1978, Ken and the family moved out to Greenacres, finding space in the Valley to spread out. Carrie rode horses and bicycles all over the Valley, sometimes tempted by boys but ultimately respecting her dad unfailingly, creating an everlasting bond that only grew stronger over time and provided Carrie with her own strength to excel. Grover inherited Ken's athletic prowess and excelled at sports while still testing the boundaries as boys will do; Ken was always there to rescue Grover and provide the perfect balance of savior and teacher to keep Grover on the right path and help him become the person that he is today, a friend to everyone and a great father in his own right. Ken also provided Grover valuable lessons in sportsmanship by stepping on Grover's feet to prevent him from beating the old man in basketball. Ken's investigative efforts in determining without a doubt what mischief his kids had participated in played a large part in his promotion to detective at the Police Department, though the department eliminated the motorcycle unit before Ken could achieve his ideal position of patrolling the streets on two wheels. Still having extra energy to expend and needing that extra social interaction to fill his cup, Ken took advantage of some natural athletic skills playing basketball at the Y, while also playing co-ed volleyball and softball, unknowingly laying the groundwork for what would later be recognized as a Spokane Hall of Fame softball career. Ken also continued his life-long love affair with motorcycles. These many victories that Ken claimed - be it fighting crime on the streets of Spokane, conquering foes on the softball diamonds, or returning successfully from scenic motorcycle rides - were not happenstance but the result of arduous deliberations at the Office (Tavern), where Dave would often facilitate by offering to buy rounds for the boys. As the years passed, and the kids grew older, Ken and Verna eventually decided to see if it might be better to try sharing themselves with other people and they ended the marriage in 1990. They remained lifelong friends and continued to attend family events together, getting along splendidly once the weight of marriage was lifted. Ken lived the single life for a few years but knew something was still missing from his life, until the divine fates brought Ken and Teresa Irene Mills together. After Terri seduced Ken with dumb blonde jokes, Ken knew he had found his soulmate and they made it official in 1998. Unfortunately, Terri was immediately faced with a daunting task, serving as the guiding force to help Ken face down and beat thyroid cancer shortly after their marriage. Ken was told that he likely wouldn't make it five years; with Terri's support he lived another 25 years just to spite the experts. Ken retired from the police force shortly after his recovery. He and Terri split time between Tacoma, Sun City, and Spokane, spending time with Ken and Terri's families, riding motorcycles, and snowbirding in a warmer climate. Ken was very active in motorcycle clubs of former police officers, becoming a founding member and President of the Iron Pigs Seattle Chapter while also staying active in the Spokane chapter, consorting with colorful characters such as Fat Boy. As grandchildren Emily, Noah, and Leilah arrived, Ken enhanced his biker image by babysitting and attending kid sporting events, providing excellent coaching tips from the sidelines. While reluctant to openly proclaim it, Ken was the proudest Grandfather. Ken also expanded his own extracurricular activities, playing plenty of horseshoes, cornhole, and pickleball. While he also played some golf, it was not his forte, though he did set a new record in the golf-club tossing event. Ken always felt the need to stay busy and dabbled in part-time jobs to occupy his retirement time, jobs such as school bus driver, Home Depot associate, and Uber driver. Evil kids leading him down dead-end streets and unruly customers with their annoying drunken questions inevitably always led Ken back to full-time retirement which worked out great for family members who needed a deck built. When Ken again grew bored, he was able to convince Terri to retire. Eventually they sold their other properties and decided that the call of the Spokane winters was too powerful, and they moved to Spokane full-time in 2018, allowing Ken once again to be pulled back to the place it all began. Ken was able to reconnect with old friends and spend more time with family, creating countless indelible memories for these past five years. In November of 2022, Ken needed a new heart valve to replace the original, worn out from so much giving. Ken recovered quickly and spent a lot of time entertaining friends and family, walking at the mall, playing pickleball, and going to physical therapy. In late February of 2023, a standard visit to the physical therapist resulted in an unexpected trip to the Spokane Valley emergency room. Ken's bloodwork a couple of weeks prior had been perfect so when the Valley doctors diagnosed him with acute leukemia and transferred him to Deconness for treatment it seemed surreal. As a tumultuous winter wrestled with spring for control of March outside, inside, Ken's body attacked itself and created an inhospitable environment. After a week, Ken emerged in a brief moment of respite, told his family he was ready to move on, and said his goodbyes. On the afternoon of March 7, with his family by his side, Ken found peace and began his journey to join his cousin Darin, his Aunt Iola, and other family and friends that preceded him. Outside the winter skies cleared, the wind softened to a gentle breeze, and the city basked in the sun's warmth. The day that delivered Ken from earth turned as bright and beautiful as the one that brought him to earth. While initially a sad emptiness settled in the void, it was quickly displaced by the realization that Ken is still all around us, everyday, continuing to touch our lives with a gentle and kind soul and memories that will always carry us forward with a smile. Ken would sometimes pretend to present a gruff exterior but it didn't take much to pull a smile or hearty laugh out of him. He would always grab his tool belt and toolbox without hesitation and help family and friends with the toughest of projects. He was there to provide a lifeline and help others or just listen when hope seemed otherwise lost. Oftentimes loved ones didn't know that Ken was doing these things as he didn't feel the need to talk about it or receive recognition for his good deeds. Ken also remained close to all of his siblings as well as extended family for the entirety of his life, always present for reunions and family gatherings. In retrospect, those that know him best sum Ken up as concisely as his own police reports; Quiet Kindness. He touched so many lives in his own unique way. There will never be another. Husband, father, brother, uncle, grandfather, friend, Hero - We love you! Family members that continue to be constantly reminded of Ken as they go through their earthly pursuits are his wife, Terri Krogh; his siblings and their children Kayla (& Tim) Meeks, Karen (& Carl) Kliever, Kathleen (& John) Stringer, Keith (& Jan) Krogh; his sister in law Sue (& Don) Dietz; his children Carrie (& Morgan) Koudelka, Grover (& Hallie) Krogh and step-daughter Stacy (& Rene) Foree; and his grandchildren Emily Acosta and Noah and Leilah Krogh, as well as an extended family of cousins, softballers, pickleballers, bikers, and police officers. Please visit his page on the Neptune Society website: obituaries.neptunesociety.com for details as they become available.