Kenneth Earle Feenstra
Kenneth Earle Feenstra died on Dec. 8, 2014, at Desert Regional Hospital with his wife and daughters near, after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer. Born on March 18, l931, to Marinus and Evelyn Samuelson Feenstra, the fourth of five children, Kenneth grew up in Redlands, California, graduating from Redlands High School in 1949. He then attended and graduated from San Bernardino Valley College where he met Mary Lou Christofferson and they married in 1954. Ken was trained by his father in architectural drafting and carpentry, which gave him a solid base for his future endeavors. Ken entered the University of California at Berkeley, graduating in 1962 with a degree of Bachelor of Architecture. Continuing to live in Berkeley, Ken designed homes in the East Bay area, including one for his family in the Berkeley hills. He was recruited and eventually joined the Department of Housing and Urban Development in San Francisco, working with the cities of Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, Oahu, Pasadena, Los Angeles, Indio, Sacramento and others. During this time he was often a panelist on the use of HUD programs and became Southern California Chairman of the National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials. Ken then became Director of Rehabilitation for Los Angeles. In 1973 he became Redevelopment Director in Palm Springs, working to implement a new downtown plan which had just been adopted, including The Vineyards, Las Casuelas Terraza, Plaza de Las Flores, Fashion Plaza, Maxim's Hotel (now Hyatt Regency) the Classic (now Escena), among other projects. He retired in 1992, but continued consulting in redevelopment in various cities in the Coachella Valley. From 1988 to 2003 he was on the board of Redlands Christian Home, started by his father to provide housing for seniors and those with Alzheimer's disease. At the time of his death he was a volunteer at the Palm Springs Historic Society and active as a supporter of Roy's SOS Center and the Movie Colony Homeowners Association. He was a 39 year member of O'Donnell Golf Club, where he had served as president and as trustee, writing a history of the club. Ken was a charming optimist who enjoyed people - he was kind, honest, loving, generous and a joy to know, and he will be greatly missed. His smiles and good humor were contagious and always available. He loved to sing, travel the world, and people, being with his family particularly. He is survived by Mary Lou, his wife of 60 years; his daughter Julia and husband Bob Harding; his daughter Claudia and husband Rene Freeman; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and his brother Ron. He is predeceased by his sisters Marilyn and Patricia and his brother Phillip and his parents. He will be enormously missed but loved forever by all those who had the luck to know him. A celebration of life will be held at Church of Saint Paul's in the Desert in Palm Springs at 2 p.m. Jan. 24, 2015.
To view or sign this guestbook, please visit: desertsun.com/obituaries
Published in The Desert Sun from Jan. 7 to Jan. 9, 2015
Kenneth Earle Feenstra died on Dec. 8, 2014, at Desert Regional Hospital with his wife and daughters near, after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer. Born on March 18, l931, to Marinus and Evelyn Samuelson Feenstra, the fourth of five children, Kenneth grew up in Redlands, California, graduating from Redlands High School in 1949. He then attended and graduated from San Bernardino Valley College where he met Mary Lou Christofferson and they married in 1954. Ken was trained by his father in architectural drafting and carpentry, which gave him a solid base for his future endeavors. Ken entered the University of California at Berkeley, graduating in 1962 with a degree of Bachelor of Architecture. Continuing to live in Berkeley, Ken designed homes in the East Bay area, including one for his family in the Berkeley hills. He was recruited and eventually joined the Department of Housing and Urban Development in San Francisco, working with the cities of Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, Oahu, Pasadena, Los Angeles, Indio, Sacramento and others. During this time he was often a panelist on the use of HUD programs and became Southern California Chairman of the National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials. Ken then became Director of Rehabilitation for Los Angeles. In 1973 he became Redevelopment Director in Palm Springs, working to implement a new downtown plan which had just been adopted, including The Vineyards, Las Casuelas Terraza, Plaza de Las Flores, Fashion Plaza, Maxim's Hotel (now Hyatt Regency) the Classic (now Escena), among other projects. He retired in 1992, but continued consulting in redevelopment in various cities in the Coachella Valley. From 1988 to 2003 he was on the board of Redlands Christian Home, started by his father to provide housing for seniors and those with Alzheimer's disease. At the time of his death he was a volunteer at the Palm Springs Historic Society and active as a supporter of Roy's SOS Center and the Movie Colony Homeowners Association. He was a 39 year member of O'Donnell Golf Club, where he had served as president and as trustee, writing a history of the club. Ken was a charming optimist who enjoyed people - he was kind, honest, loving, generous and a joy to know, and he will be greatly missed. His smiles and good humor were contagious and always available. He loved to sing, travel the world, and people, being with his family particularly. He is survived by Mary Lou, his wife of 60 years; his daughter Julia and husband Bob Harding; his daughter Claudia and husband Rene Freeman; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and his brother Ron. He is predeceased by his sisters Marilyn and Patricia and his brother Phillip and his parents. He will be enormously missed but loved forever by all those who had the luck to know him. A celebration of life will be held at Church of Saint Paul's in the Desert in Palm Springs at 2 p.m. Jan. 24, 2015.
To view or sign this guestbook, please visit: desertsun.com/obituaries
Published in The Desert Sun from Jan. 7 to Jan. 9, 2015
Kenneth Earle Feenstra
Kenneth Earle Feenstra died on Dec. 8, 2014, at Desert Regional Hospital with his wife and daughters near, after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer. Born on March 18, l931, to Marinus and Evelyn Samuelson Feenstra, the fourth of five children, Kenneth grew up in Redlands, California, graduating from Redlands High School in 1949. He then attended and graduated from San Bernardino Valley College where he met Mary Lou Christofferson and they married in 1954. Ken was trained by his father in architectural drafting and carpentry, which gave him a solid base for his future endeavors. Ken entered the University of California at Berkeley, graduating in 1962 with a degree of Bachelor of Architecture. Continuing to live in Berkeley, Ken designed homes in the East Bay area, including one for his family in the Berkeley hills. He was recruited and eventually joined the Department of Housing and Urban Development in San Francisco, working with the cities of Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, Oahu, Pasadena, Los Angeles, Indio, Sacramento and others. During this time he was often a panelist on the use of HUD programs and became Southern California Chairman of the National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials. Ken then became Director of Rehabilitation for Los Angeles. In 1973 he became Redevelopment Director in Palm Springs, working to implement a new downtown plan which had just been adopted, including The Vineyards, Las Casuelas Terraza, Plaza de Las Flores, Fashion Plaza, Maxim's Hotel (now Hyatt Regency) the Classic (now Escena), among other projects. He retired in 1992, but continued consulting in redevelopment in various cities in the Coachella Valley. From 1988 to 2003 he was on the board of Redlands Christian Home, started by his father to provide housing for seniors and those with Alzheimer's disease. At the time of his death he was a volunteer at the Palm Springs Historic Society and active as a supporter of Roy's SOS Center and the Movie Colony Homeowners Association. He was a 39 year member of O'Donnell Golf Club, where he had served as president and as trustee, writing a history of the club. Ken was a charming optimist who enjoyed people - he was kind, honest, loving, generous and a joy to know, and he will be greatly missed. His smiles and good humor were contagious and always available. He loved to sing, travel the world, and people, being with his family particularly. He is survived by Mary Lou, his wife of 60 years; his daughter Julia and husband Bob Harding; his daughter Claudia and husband Rene Freeman; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and his brother Ron. He is predeceased by his sisters Marilyn and Patricia and his brother Phillip and his parents. He will be enormously missed but loved forever by all those who had the luck to know him. A celebration of life will be held at Church of Saint Paul's in the Desert in Palm Springs at 2 p.m. Jan. 24, 2015.
To view or sign this guestbook, please visit: desertsun.com/obituaries
Published in The Desert Sun from Jan. 7 to Jan. 9, 2015
Kenneth Earle Feenstra died on Dec. 8, 2014, at Desert Regional Hospital with his wife and daughters near, after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer. Born on March 18, l931, to Marinus and Evelyn Samuelson Feenstra, the fourth of five children, Kenneth grew up in Redlands, California, graduating from Redlands High School in 1949. He then attended and graduated from San Bernardino Valley College where he met Mary Lou Christofferson and they married in 1954. Ken was trained by his father in architectural drafting and carpentry, which gave him a solid base for his future endeavors. Ken entered the University of California at Berkeley, graduating in 1962 with a degree of Bachelor of Architecture. Continuing to live in Berkeley, Ken designed homes in the East Bay area, including one for his family in the Berkeley hills. He was recruited and eventually joined the Department of Housing and Urban Development in San Francisco, working with the cities of Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, Oahu, Pasadena, Los Angeles, Indio, Sacramento and others. During this time he was often a panelist on the use of HUD programs and became Southern California Chairman of the National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials. Ken then became Director of Rehabilitation for Los Angeles. In 1973 he became Redevelopment Director in Palm Springs, working to implement a new downtown plan which had just been adopted, including The Vineyards, Las Casuelas Terraza, Plaza de Las Flores, Fashion Plaza, Maxim's Hotel (now Hyatt Regency) the Classic (now Escena), among other projects. He retired in 1992, but continued consulting in redevelopment in various cities in the Coachella Valley. From 1988 to 2003 he was on the board of Redlands Christian Home, started by his father to provide housing for seniors and those with Alzheimer's disease. At the time of his death he was a volunteer at the Palm Springs Historic Society and active as a supporter of Roy's SOS Center and the Movie Colony Homeowners Association. He was a 39 year member of O'Donnell Golf Club, where he had served as president and as trustee, writing a history of the club. Ken was a charming optimist who enjoyed people - he was kind, honest, loving, generous and a joy to know, and he will be greatly missed. His smiles and good humor were contagious and always available. He loved to sing, travel the world, and people, being with his family particularly. He is survived by Mary Lou, his wife of 60 years; his daughter Julia and husband Bob Harding; his daughter Claudia and husband Rene Freeman; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and his brother Ron. He is predeceased by his sisters Marilyn and Patricia and his brother Phillip and his parents. He will be enormously missed but loved forever by all those who had the luck to know him. A celebration of life will be held at Church of Saint Paul's in the Desert in Palm Springs at 2 p.m. Jan. 24, 2015.
To view or sign this guestbook, please visit: desertsun.com/obituaries
Published in The Desert Sun from Jan. 7 to Jan. 9, 2015
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