Kenneth Williamson
Passed on: January 8th, 2017
Kenneth ‘Ken’ George Williamson of Sydney passed away Sunday, January 8, 2017. Born in Saint John, N. B., Ken was the son of the late Teresa Coyle and W. M. J. Williamson. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Mary Pauline (Polly MacKinnon) Williamson. Ken resided in Ashby where he and Polly raised their five children, Kimberley of Oman, Kenneth Jr. (Kathy) of Sydney, Kevin (Judy) of Brampton, Kirk (Juanita) and Keith, both of Sydney. Also surviving are his grandchildren, Olliver, Kyle, Kristin, Kenzie, Ryan, Jessica, Julia and Kaitlyn. Ken is survived by his brother, James Williamson and sister-in-law, Lenore of Burlington, Ont.
He was predeceased by half brothers and sisters, Billy, Bess, Charlie, Connie, Doris, Maddy, Gertrude, Murray and Ronald.
Ken’s was a familiar face to many, having managed the Vogue Theatre in Sydney. His career in the theatre business, which he loved, spanned 58 years. It began at the Paramount in his home town of Saint John, followed by the Savoy in Glace Bay and the Paramount in Halifax. It was in 1956 that he moved to Sydney to take over at the Paramount Theatre on Charlotte Street. A few years later, he became general manager of the Vogue and Paramount Theatres. He continued to care for the Vogue until it was sold in 2008. Ken was an active member of the Sydney Knights of Columbus (KOC) for over 50 years and held the post of Grand Knight for four terms. He enjoyed tarabish, hockey and baseball, and was a dedicated volunteer at various KOC charities, like their spaghetti suppers and Christmas boxes. In the last ten years he was a regular volunteer at the KOC Bingos, held at St. Theresa’s Hall and Membertou. He was also an active Golden Agers member of the Sydney Curling Club and the Sydney Pensioners Club. Ken was a kind, generous and modest man. He had a huge heart and wonderful sense of humour. He will be greatly missed, but forever remembered as a loving, dedicated and kind father and husband.
Funeral mass for Ken will be held at St Theresa’s Church on Friday, January 13 at 11 a.m., with Rev. Dennis Lamey officiating. Please join his family in remembering him. Special thanks to the palliative care, an cala unit of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital for the wonderful care provided to our father/husband. Memorials may be made to a charity of your choice.
Words of comfort can be sent to the family at www.sydneymemorialchapel.ca or e-mail sydneymemorialchapel@ns.sympatico.ca.
