Kenneth Farley Keys

Kenneth served with the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War. He enlisted in 1944 at the Exhibition Grounds in Toronto, Ontario, at 20 years of age. Following training at HMCS Cornwallis and HMCS Stadacona, he served as a Stoker 1st Class aboard the Stadacona, the Scotian, and the minesweeper HMCS Grandmère on the East Coast and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Kenneth vividly remembered the Halifax explosion of 1945. Ammunition from ships being refitted for service in the Pacific was temporarily stored at the Bedford Magazine on the shores of the Bedford Basin north of Dartmouth. On the evening of July 18, 1945, a fire at the magazine jetty triggered a series of massive explosions that continued through the night and into the following morning. Kenneth recalled that the force of the blast hurled the hammocks in dry dock onto the steel floor of the ship.

Kenneth returned to Ontario after he was demobilized in early 1946. A draftsman by trade, he married Merle in 1950 and was a loving and devoted husband. Together they shared 66 years of marriage until his passing in 2016. They raised three children and were blessed with seven grandchildren.

Ken was a long-time Scout leader who shared his love of camping and the outdoors with many people beyond his own family. He was also a gifted woodworker who crafted beautiful pieces of furniture for family and friends alike. In retirement, Ken and Merle enjoyed travelling the world together, creating many cherished memories.

We Will Remember Them