It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Kim Stanley Veness, on May 26, 2024 in Victoria, BC.
Kim was born on November 28, 1957, in Kelowna, BC. He spent his childhood and teenage years in and around Kelowna and Kamloops. He experienced rural life, growing gardens and raising livestock. He was a bit of a rebel in his youth—leather jacket, slicked-back hair, and an adventurous spirit. Kim eventually met and married Lisbeth Larsen, with whom he had four children (Matthew, Amy, Andrew, Kimberley).
Missions work took Kim and his family overseas to Southern & Central America, where they settled in Guatemala for several years. While there, Kim dedicated his time helping to build schools, churches, and homes for the less fortunate. He also provided aid in medical clinics, performing minor surgeries and delivering babies. Kim continued to travel around the world (visiting 27 countries), and immersing himself in each culture - taking time to learn the language, customary traditions, and connect with every community he went to. He even connected with remote tribes, called the Ashaninka and Lolobi, where he was presented with the titles of Honorary Chief and Elder - high honors only offered to individuals who are considered well respected and trusted members of their communities. Kim's travels and work eventually led him to Africa, where he invented and produced a solar powered lighting toolkit called My Sunshine Box. This invention provided the poorest of communities with light, and is still changing the lives of people in Africa today. He truly enjoyed helping others, which is so evident in the work he committed himself to throughout the years. During his time in Africa, he hiked Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro. He spoke very fondly of those memories, and of how exhilarating it was to reach the top of those mountains.
Kim was a skilled outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, kayaking, hiking, and exploring. He also had a talent for painting - and would often spend hours creating paintings for family and friends. Kim was also a proud father and grandfather. He had 4 children (Matthew, Amy, Andrew, Kimberley), and 4 grandchildren (Carson, Aspen, Landon, Sawyer). He was always supportive and encouraging of his children's activities - cheering them on at track & sporting events, and happily snapping lots of pictures. He enjoyed creating elaborate and intriguing Easter egg hunts around the farm in Saskatchewan where they lived for a time. He was the type of Dad you could always go to for advice, a shoulder to cry on, or a listening ear. As a grandpa, he was always up for picnics, metal detecting on the beaches, days at the lake, attending soccer games to cheer with a big smile on his face, and he could often be found whistling in the kitchen while baking his famous cookies, cakes, or muffins. Even in the midst of his illness, he continued to be a positive, upbeat person - a bright light in his friends & family's lives.
Kim will be dearly missed by his family, and the many friends he has. He is loved by so many, and will always be remembered for his sense of humor, tender and loving heart, his beautiful smile and laughter, and the genuine zest he had for life! An unforgettable man, an unbreakable spirit, a legacy to be carried on through his children and grandchildren.
And now we leave you with a quote that Kim liked, by Frederick Buechner:
"When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us. It means that if we meet again, you will know me. It means that even after I die, you can still see my face and hear my voice and speak to me in your heart...for as long as you remember me, I am never entirely lost."
