Ernie Remembers Ken

(Ken Wiig’s Celebration of Life was held at the Givens Highland Farms Assembly Room, Black Mountain, NC, at 2 PM February 15, 2020.  The following remembrance was prepared and presented by his friend Ernie Jahnke.

We are here today to celebrate the life of Ken Wiig.  He was a husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, and uncle; a friend to all members of his family; and a friend to most of us here today. 

Webster defines “friend” as “a person whom one knows, likes and trusts.”  For Ken, I would add to that definition the word ”loves”. Ken brightened everyone’s day with whom he came into contact.  He always wanted to know how you were doing, what you were doing, and usually had something to say to you that made you smile.

Let me share with you what I know about our friend Ken and who he was as a person: 

Ken graduated from Dubuque University in Iowa with a degree in Business Administration.  After Air Force basic training in 1971, Ken and Ann married and, together, they served a long tour of duty in Turkey.  Upon being discharged from the service in 1974, he began his career in hotel management at his father-in-law’s motel in Platteville, Iowa.  When the business was sold, the Wiigs moved to Denver where Ken had secured a position with a national hotel management investment company.

They made  several geographic moves with the company, including to Stockton, CA and Auburn, AL.  In 2001 Auburn University purchased the hotel property where Ken worked.  Ken and Ann decided to move their family to Asheville to seek less stressful employment in an area where they had always wanted to live.

In Asheville, Ken worked for Mission Hospital in the accounting department while Ann was an administrator in Mission’s Medical Staffing Office.  In 2014 Ken officially retired to focus on his family and do community service volunteer work, more of which I will speak of in a minute.

Sue and I met the Wiigs one day in November, 2017. Amy Nasta, Givens Highland Farms director of marketing, called to ask if we would attend a meet-and-greet for a couple that was undecided about moving into Givens Highland Farms.  Amy said the husband was hesitating, while the wife was ready to pack up and move in that day.  Amy felt we might be able to answer some of his questions and alleviate some of his uncertainty about making the move.  We met Ken and Ann with Amy and a few other Givens’ staff members for drinks and hors d’oeuvres at Native Kitchen in Swannanoa.

Upon being introduced to the Wiigs, Sue and I later agreed that each of us instantly liked them.  It’s the old adage of first impressions are the most important.  We soon learned that Ken was unsure that Givens was affordable on a long-term basis.  “Long-term” because Ken and Ann shared with us his idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis condition.  He wanted to be confident that Ann would be secure in the future.

It was difficult for us to understand his medical condition as we were looking across the table at a handsome, strong individual who was the picture of health.  We understood his concern about being able to afford Givens.  But his health really was the major problem and we knew Givens was a good place to be to cope with medical issues. For this reason, Ann had already decided that the Farm was the place for them.

Amy and the others left us after a few hours, at which point we stayed for dinner with the Wiigs.  Sue and I shared our experiences living at Givens and how we were so thankful for making the decision to move here.  We emphasized the presence of a loving, caring, happy and supportive community in residence. 

After spending a wonderful evening getting to know the Wiigs, we went our separate ways.  On the drive back home, we were excited to have met this special couple and agreed that it seemed we had known them as friends for a very long time.  We also understood that we might never see them again.

Flash forward to July, 2018.  After moving into our condo in June,   we went on  a vacation.  Upon our return, and as we were unloading our luggage from the car, Ann suddenly tapped Sue on the shoulder and, with a hug, announced that the Wiigs were our new neighbors.  Unbelievable!  She said they would be sharing a condo wall with us until their new Meadowmont III home was ready to move into sometime in December.  Our friendship was meant to be after all!

We soon learned that Ken and Ann are “dog people” and have always had a pooch in their lives.  Brandy, one of their golden retrievers, was a certified therapy dog.  Ken and Brandy would go to Mission Hospital on a regular basis to visit patients.  He always spoke of how gratifying it was for both of them to do that.

He served on the Craggy Resource Council and participated in their inmate outreach program at Craggy Prison. The Council established and supported the inmate “canine-training program” that placed service dogs with physically challenged persons needing mobility assistance.

Ken and I were fans of the Chicago sports teams since our younger days living in the city.  Baseball was of first importance for both of us. Ken, being from the North Side, rooted for the Cubs. True to my South Side upbringing, I am a lifelong White Sox fan.  We both loved playing the game.  He was a second baseman; I pitched but also played other positions.

While serving overseas in Turkey, Ken was the second baseman for the Air Force baseball team.  Unfortunately, he broke his ankle during a game.  That injury ended his playing career.  The operation to correct the break was botched and he wound up with the broken leg being one inch shorter than the other leg.  The Mayo Clinic assessed the break after he was discharged from the service and concluded that nothing could be done to repair the damage.

So at our advanced ages we would sit around and joke with each other and wonder if baseball was played in heaven and if we could play again.  Recognizing that heaven was a big assumption for each of us, we agreed that whoever got there first would come back and report to the other with the answer.

“Worldly Weiners” restaurant in Black Mountain was Ken’s place of choice for dining.  Vienna brand hot dogs served at Chicago sports venues are a feature menu item.  There’s nothing better than a nutricious hot dog, fries and/or or cheese curds and a beer!  We ate there many times but Ken even more so as the waitresses knew him by his first name.  On the night of Ken’s passing, a small group of his friends gathered at the restaurant to share their thoughts about Ken.

In one of our recent conversations, I asked Ann to describe her relationship with Ken.  She said they were always best friends.  As father and friend to Kevin and Brian, Ken surpassed her every expectation.  And she knows their marriage never weakened in 48 years because they trusted each other implicitly.  You may have noticed that they did just about everything together; when you saw Ann you saw Ken and vice versa.  They were a team always working side by side.  I have never seen a stronger marriage bond. Their presence made everyone around them feel better. 

Kevin and Brian both mirror Ken’s personality.  Moreover, you can look at them and see Ken.  As far as I’m concerned, they might as well have been triplets!  Ken often spoke of his sons and you could tell in his voice and by his stature how proud he was of them.  Kevin is a corporate pilot and flies all over the world.  He, wife Staci and daughter Carie live in the Phillidelphia area.  Brian is a Registered Nurse practicing in an outpatient center in Spartanburg, SC.  He, wife Vanessa (also an RN), daughter Bailey and son Eli live in Forest City, NC located just north of Spartanburg.  All of them are loving and caring individuals just like Ken and Ann. 

Sue and I wondered what Ann’s plans would be for the future.  Would she continue living at Givens?  Ann told us that the Wigg family left Duke and Durham in five separate cars for the drive back to Meadowmont.  She was driving alone and when she got to Old Fort and saw the Black Mountains ahead of her on I-40, she called Kevin to tell him with a smile of relief and a lifted heart that she was back home where she belonged.  Her family is unanimously in agreement with this decision.  And by the way, Ann, I think I can speak for all your friends in this room that we are 100% behind that decision too.  Welcome home!

I have one final comment about Ken and it comes from a quote by actor and comedian Martin Short.  You may remember him from Saturday Night Live.  Mr. Short says, “I believe when people die, they zoom into people who love them.  This idea that it just ends and don’t speak of them - that’s wrong.”  I know that Ken has zoomed into all of us here today and we will always speak of him with love and fond memories.

In closing, I want to tell you about a dream I had the night Ken passed.  He came and sat on the side of my bed to tell me he was back to report about our speculation as to whether or not   baseball was played in heaven.  I sat up and urgently asked him what was the answer.  Ken said there was good news and there was bad news  The good news he said is, “Yes, there is baseball in heaven and I’m now on the team playing second base.

The bad news for you is that you are pitching tomorrow!” 

 We love you and miss you Ken!