Kenneth E. Valdes Obituary
Kenneth E. "Ken" Valdes found peace and eternal life on July 25, 2025, at the age of 90. Devoted husband of Joanne (née Kennedy) Engel. Loving father/stepfather of Cheryl Hutter (John), Cindy Hetrick (Bernie), and Ron Engel (Terry). Cherished grandfather/step-grandfather to Liz Fenner (Wayne), Jessica Roberts (Dan), Christie Satermo (Josh), Alex Engel, and Ashlynn Engel. Proud great-grandfather of Phillip, Mason, Max, and Abby. Further survived by other relatives and friends, including Ken's childhood friend and brother-in-law, Bill Kennedy. Preceded in death by his parents, Quintin and Johannah (née Jorns) Valdes; his first wife, Karen (née Larsen) Valdes; his brother and sister-in-law, Quintin and Ann (née Bahr) Valdes; and his stepdaughter, Kesha Engel.
His honest, hardworking, sense of humor and active nature will be dearly missed.
Ken's first job was as an auto mechanic at a service station, which led to a lifelong career — eventually owning his own station until he retired.
Ken and his first wife, Karen, were married in 1956. They had two daughters and, as a family, would enjoy boating and fishing on the weekends. They also had three memorable family vacations with the girls. Ken and Karen visited Las Vegas and Mexico often, but were able to take their dream trips together to Tahiti and New Zealand before Karen passed in 1996.
Later in life, Ken found love again with Joanne, and they were married in 2002. They lived an active life while spending time with their blended family. Ken and Joanne traveled together to Arizona and Ken's favorite, Costa Rica. Some other memorable trips together include Union Pier in Michigan, Wisconsin Dells where they checked out the "cheesy, groovy, whacky and cool" shops and taking a leisurely drive through Door County, WI.
Ken will be remembered as a "jack of all trades.". On any given day, you would find Ken outside "tinkering"— whether it was repairing something, woodworking, metalwork, gardening, or splitting wood, to name a few. He also enjoyed spending time in the north woods hunting.
Though Ken has been called home to the Lord, he has left us with lasting life lessons, wisdom, and memories of unmatched mental and physical strength — including beating his 10-year old great-grandson in a pull-up competition at age 80.
The family would like to extend their sincerest gratitude to the nurses and staff at Lakewood Memory Care and Brighton Hospice for the support and care provided during Ken's final months.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Schmidt & Bartlet Funeral Home, W250N6505 Hwy 164, Sussex, WI, on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. Visitation will be from 2:00–4:00pm and a Memorial Service will start at 4:00pm.
In lieu of flowers, through the link below, planting a tree in Ken's memory is appreciated.
https://tree.tributestore.com. .
Visitation Tuesday, August 12, 2025 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Schmidt & Bartelt Sussex, W250 N6505 Hwy 164 Sussex, WI 53089 Phone: (262) 246-4774.
