The community lost a longtime member and active volunteer earlier this month with the passing of Ken Atkey.
Atkey died April 2 at the age of 86.
Born in Cloverdale in 1927, Atkey moved to Ladner in 1935. His mother, Fern Atkey, moved to the community with her three young boys after the death of her husband Melville and bought a house on Georgia Street for $650. That house remains the family home today.
After graduating from high school, Atkey studied at Faulkner School of Art and married Marion Holmes in 1949.
The couple had three children.
In the mid-1950s, Atkey went to work for Odeon theatres, where he became advertising manager. He held the position until the company was taken over by Cineplex in the 1980s.
The job often involved entertaining celebrities, including the likes of Oliver Reed, Charlton Heston, and Cheech and Chong.
Aside from his work and family, Atkey was an active volunteer. He started volunteering through the local Kinsmen Club and later served as president of Deltassist in the late 1970s.
A lifelong railway enthusiast, a hobby he inherited from his father, Atkey was also well known for his model railways, some of which are displayed at the Delta Museum.
He built a train set that fills the entire attic of the family's home, and wrote a history of the railway that once ran through Ladner.
Atkey is survived by Marion, his wife of 64 years, older brother Bill, daughter Marilyn Atkey, daughter and son-in-law Beverly and Bill Beese, son Mel and two grandchildren, Erin and Christopher Beese.
