COURTNEY, Kenneth (Ken)

The White Mountain Independent, Show Low, Arizona ~ December 7, 2010 Ken Courtney died Nov. 15, 2010, at the Carriage House in Snowflake from complications of cancer and COPD. He was born Oct. 21, 1926, in Corvallis, Ore. and prided himself on having his hand in many different occupations, the longest lasting one as a university professor at California State University, Los Angeles for 33 years. Ken touched many students' lives, supporting and guiding them to succeed. He specialized in oral communication, marketing and finance, and had the remarkable ability to simplify the most complex concepts into easily understood ideas. Being both adventurous and curious, he was larger than life! As a young man, he drove trucks, caterpillars, and harvesters in the wheat fields of Spokane, Washington. In later years, he became a clinical hypnotherapist and practiced in California, British Columbia, and Arizona. He and his wife Joan traveled across the country, down through Baja Calif. and up to Canada before settling in Vernon. He loved to cook and garden, and had a strong interest in ancient archeology. He was ordained as a minister in the Universal Guidance Church, Ontario, Calif. Ken has left a legacy of humor and optimism for family and friends alike. He is survived by his wife, Joan; son and daughter-in-law Paul and Carrie (Lebanon, N.H.), son and daughter-in-law Michael and Gail (Seal Beach, Calif.) and daughter and son-in-law Heather and Ryan Leaver (Tarzana, Calif). No services will be held and in lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Unity Church of Grants Pass, PBM 361, 233 Rogue River Highway, Grants Pass, OR 97527.