Mr. Kenneth William Houlton

It is with great sadness that the family of Ken Houlton of Nanton, AB, announce his passing on Monday, April 6, 2026 at the age of 95 years. Kenneth William Houlton was born on a farm in the County of Middlesex, Ontario on November 14, 1930. He remained a farm boy at heart throughout his life. As a child, he loved tapping the Ontario maple trees to make syrup in the crisp early spring air and cinching up a team of horses to work the fields with his dad. At sixteen, Ken’s first job was as a pin boy at the bowling alley. He earned three and half cents per game for resetting the pins, on a good night that meant $3.50 plus tips. At the wise old age of seventeen, he ventured west to Alberta and found work on ranches. As an eighteen-year-old, he returned to Ontario by train, traveling with some prized Hereford cattle back for the Toronto Royal Winter Fair. Along the way, he and a buddy thought it was great fun to heave shovels of manure out of the train, aiming for the hoods of passing cars. There was nothing Ken loved better than music, especially if it involved dancing. It was a lucky thing that he played the accordion, because a young Shirley Culver, an accomplished accordionist herself, needed a partner. And the rest, as they say, is history. Ken was able to convince his new bride that she would love the west as much as he did. The next five years would welcome four little girls to the family; Marilyn, Ann, Lori and Janet, all in quick succession. By then they had moved to a quarter section farm west of Nanton, soon to be known as Houlton’s Corner. An agricultural career followed with a position as a promotional representative for a herbicide company. It was a perfect career for an outgoing, charismatic man who loved meeting people and sharing stories. He was well regarded in this field, travelling across the prairies meeting with groups of farmers. Ken valued his community. He was a Boy Scout leader, taking boys on overnight mountain trips, volunteering on the local hospital board and being an active member of the Nanton Lion’s Club. On weekends he could often be found playing the piano in a local dance band. As a widower, Ken found the second love of his life, Esther. They lived the retirement dream, traveling south for the winters, dancing and partying the cold months away. The two of them were always up for a card game, filled with plenty of bantering and a lot of laughs. He continued to dance, amuse everyone with his quick wit, and spend hours on his beloved piano well into his nineties. His motto could be: Grab the stuff of life with all your being. Ken is survived by his loving wife, Esther, his four daughters Marilyn (Bruce), Ann (Scott), Lori (Harry) and Janet (Randy), stepson Neil (Carron) and his sister Janet (George). In addition, Ken was a proud grandparent to eleven grandchildren and eleven great- grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Shirley in 1982. A Celebration of Ken’s Life will be held on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at the Nanton United Church (2121 21 St, Nanton, AB, T0L 1R0) at 1:00 P.M. Immediately following the church service, please join the family for a time of fellowship and reception at the Kozy Korner (2211 20 St, Nanton, AB, T0L 1R0) to further share memories of Ken. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a charity of your choice. Caring for the family is Lyle Reeves Funerals of High River (Craig Snodgrass) 403.652.4242.

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Mr. Kenneth William Houlton

November 14, 1930 - April 6, 2026