A COMMUNITY stalwart from Pendle will be remembered by his friends and family who recently paid tribute to him.

Joseph Kenneth Tennant - known as Ken - passed away on October 1, aged 88.

Ken died at Sycamore Rise Care Home in Colne with his family by his side, including his wife Sheila and three children.

Lord John Lee, a former MP for Pendle, paid tribute to Ken, a former Conservative Party election agent.

He said: “Ken did so much for so many.

“We will all miss him. He was my eyes and ears in the constituency he was a loyal friend and adviser. He was dedicated to the community and an honest man.

“He was a lovely, caring man who was essentially a healer rather than a warrior.”
Nick Tennant,  Ken’s son, said that his dad was a great person and his early days were spent as a decorator.

He said: “Whilst a trainee painter and decorator, he shared the family home with his brother, Thomas, and sister-in-law, Margaret, doting on their young children, the first of 14 nephews and nieces who he would delight in entertaining with much-loved party games and tricks at extended family gatherings throughout his life. 

“Dad was a trained youth leader. His life-long interest in amateur dramatics was played out with youth clubs and churches across the district.”

Ken was one of the ‘Cracoe Crew’ members and he was a regular at dances, a pastime that led to his meeting his wife, Sheila, 

They married in 1961 on his return from national service in Germany. 
The newly-weds lived initially in Grassington, before moving to Earby in the severe winter of 1963.

He was employed at Pilkington’s Ironmongers in the town, later joining Skipton retailer Legard & Wynn, a job that  regularly saw him criss-crossing the dales, measuring up for furniture orders, always enjoying a cup of tea and a chat according to his son.

Nick said: “We will all miss him very much, he made the world a brighter place.”

Would you like to pay a personal tribute to a lost loved one? Email simone.okane@newsquest.co.uk.