Kenneth Walleen

A Celebration of Life Service was held Monday, Aug. 25, at People’s Funeral Home, 501 N. Douty Street Hanford, Calif., for Kenneth E. Walleen, 89, of Riverdale, Calif., who went to be with Jesus on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014. He was laid to rest at Oak Grove Cemetery, at Laton, Calif.

A longtime resident of Riverdale, he moved to Porterville, Calif., five years ago to live with his daughter Leslie and her husband, Joe Newsom. Three years later he moved to The Remington Assisted Living Center in Hanford, Calif., where he lived until his demise.

Ken was born Jan. 13, 1925, in Bowbells, to John Walleen and Ester Remington Walleen. He was the oldest and only son followed by two sisters and four half sisters and one stepsister. He graduated from Bowbells High School and married Alice Beck of Columbus in 1943. Ken and Alice were married for 65 years before Alice passed away due to ALS in 2009.

Ken, a World War II veteran, was drafted into the Army in March 1945. Ken was a paratrooper and was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C. He re-enlisted in November 1945 and was attached to the 11th Airborne in Japan. He was honorably discharged in November 1946, receiving an Asiatic Pacific Service Medal, Army Occupational Medal and a Japan Victory Medal. He was discharged from the Reserve Corps in October 1950.

Ken was a loving husband and father of three daughters: Leslie, Susan and Sheila. Ken worked at Jim Durick’s garage in Bowbells, managed the Mobile gas station and farmed in several locations. In 1958 he moved to Columbus. He moved to Riverdale in 1961 to work in the oil business. While he was in Riverdale he was employed by Beacon Oil Refinery in Hanford, where he retired after 25 years.

Ken and Alice enjoyed traveling and made many trips to North Dakota visiting friends and relatives, hunting and sightseeing across the United States, Canada, Norway and Sweden. Ken liked working with electronics, playing bridge, pinochle and golfing.

Ken was preceded in death by: his wife, Alice Beck Walleen; his parents, John and Esther Walleen; and sisters, Pamela Walleen and Joanna Robertson.

He is survived by: his sisters, Maxine Siemers, Omaha, Neb., Dorothy Hoover, Whitefish, Mont., Sharon Walleen, in Wisconsin, Wendy Driver, of Milton, Fla., and Sandy Gill, Bakersfield, Calif. He is also survived by his three daughters, Leslie and husband Joe Newsom, Porterville, Calif., Susan and husband Ron Minor, Hanford, and Sheila and husband John Winslow, Monument, Colo.; seven grandchildren, Tom and Elizabeth Newsom, Brad and Brian Minor, Greg and David Winslow and Kimberly Winslow Swaim; and 20 great-grandchildren. He was blessed with wonderful sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, aunts and numerous nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be sent to the Porterville First Baptist Church for Youth Camp Fund, 101 No. G Street Porterville, CA 93257 or to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) ALS Research Only, ALS Association Gift Processing, P.O. Box 6051 Albert, Lea MN 56007 in memory of Ken and Alice Walleen.