Ken Dreisbach

Kenneth J Dreisbach of Arvada, CO passed away peacefully on March 2, 2009. He was born in Clare, MI and grew up there and in Three Rivers, MI. He lived in Flushing and Flint, MI for a number of years, and later moved to Denver, CO, to be near his daughter and two grandchildren. He worked for Western Electric and Michigan Bell as an equipment installer and then held numerous positions in the automobile industry, including parts salesman at Summerfield Chevrolet and office manager at Belford Motor Sales in Davison, MI. After retiring and moving to Denver, he worked part time as a bookkeeper at a law firm, and later worked for the Wheat Ridge Dairy, La Petite Boulangerie, and McDonald’s. Ken was a “jack of all trades”, going so far as to claim he’d been to four years of most any type of school one could conjure up. He was able to fix and build all sorts of things, and enjoyed woodworking, especially with his grandson. He could often be heard commenting “I’ll be doggone”, which was one of his favorite expressions. Ken enjoyed camping and fishing and, in fact, was able to upstage all of the younger, fancier fisherman many years ago by lurking along the banks of Michigan Creek and hauling in trout with a branch, fishing line and bait. He was continually turning up great finds at yard sales and passed his love for them on to both of his grandchildren. Ken rarely met a meal he didn’t enjoy, and those who loved him often accused him of storing it all in his hollow leg in order to maintain his slim build. He was sweet, patient, and easygoing, and always had a ready smile, pressed shirt and slacks, and a nice cardigan. He adored his daughter and grandchildren, and was known as a family man to many people. He attended almost every soccer game and swim meet his grandchildren participated in during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and continued attending soccer games his great grandson played in a few months ago. Ken had a way of making those around him feel loved and cherished. In recent years, it wasn’t unusual to find him working the counter at McDonald’s with a line 12 people deep where friends and customers chose to wait in his line rather than move quickly through a shorter line that had only a couple of customers. He was a person who befriended the staff at doctors’ offices, eliciting hugs and kisses from them, and who was friends with so many at the day program he attended for the past two years. He was a greeter at Total Longterm Care and helped prospective and new participants transition into the day program there. He is survived by, Julie Stutz, his daughter with Mildred Dreisbach; grandson, Chris Stutz (and granddaughter-in-law Allison Cole-Stutz); granddaughter Carlye Gordon (and grandson-in-law Jeff Gordon); and great grandchildren Hazel Stutz, Cade Gordon, Violet Stutz, Jack Gordon, and Cal Gordon. He will be missed more than they can express. Contributions may be made to Hospice of Saint John, 1320 Everett Court, Lakewood, Colorado, 80215. Posted by All-States Cremation