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Kenneth W. Price

September 27, 1928–December 10, 2021

Kenneth W. Price passed away on December 10, 2021, at Garfield County Hospital in Pomeroy of a stroke at age 93. Kenny was born to Harold W. Price and Amy Oliphant Price in Sunnyside, Wash., on September 27, 1928. The family moved to Garfield County in 1930. He had three older sisters: Lucille, Dorothy and Betty.

During his grade school days, he attended five different schools: Oliphant, the Town School, Dry Hollow School, Chard School and then the Oliphant School for the eighth grade.

He attended Pomeroy High School where his main sport was boxing. He graduated from Pomeroy High School in 1946. In July of this year, he and six other members of his class celebrated their 75th class reunion.

He was very active in 4-H from the age of 11, raising hogs and cattle. He received many honors. While in high school, the highlights were winning the State and Western region's National 4-H Club Congress attended by three other boys and him from the United States. They attended a trip to the International Livestock Exposition and the Club Congress in Chicago. He then went on to attend the National 4-H Club Camp in Washington, D.C. along with three other 4-H club members from the State of Washington. It was felt that it was the highest honor that any 4-H boy or girl could win. It was awarded on the basis of their leadership, and achievement in their 4-H club work during their entire 4-H enrollment.

He married Jeanne Wolf on May 22, 1949. He was 21 when his parents retired and leased their land to Kenny and Jeanne. The land was originally purchased by Kenny's Grandfather, Winchester Stewart Oliphant. As time went by, they added to the land as they could. At this time the Century farm is being run by Kenny's grandson, Seth Claassen and wife, Andrea. They are the fifth generation to farm the land.

In 1950, his bull, Elation Domino 1, was grand champion at the Hereford livestock show and sale held in Spokane. Domino was the highest selling bull, bringing in $2,110 from Aldhera Farms in Seattle.

When he was 21, Kenny was selected as the first Garfield County Cattleman. He and Jeanne remained active in the community but as their family grew, the outside organizations lost importance and they spent the next 25 years raising their four daughters: Kimberly (Jim) Burke of Nine Mile Falls; Cynthia (Bob) Johnson of Pomeroy; Julie (Curt) Claassen of Pomeroy; and Amy (Jim) Kirschner of Redmond, Wash. He has 11 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, and seven great-great grandchildren.

In 1987 Kenny and his son-in-law Curt Claassen, were again selected as Cattlemen of the Year. In time, Curt sold the cattle and concentrated on the farm while Kenny continued his hog operation, turning out about 1,000 head to market each year. Kenny retired when he was 80 years old.

Whether working or playing Dad always had time to make it into a good time. He would think of different ways to do things and talk us into doing things that turned into adventures. He always encouraged us to do our best and we tried not to disappoint him. He would say, "If you're going to do something, you should do it right."

He had a lot of friends and a lot of stories, and if he didn't know someone, he would make a new friend. If any traveler was ever stranded, or a neighbor needed help, he would stop what he was doing to help them. Sometimes his own work didn't get done if he felt someone else needed him more.

He enjoyed helping his grandkids with their 4-H sheep projects and was proud of their accomplishments. He enjoyed making things out of scrap metal and the Kirschner boys have a playhouse that will outlast their home. He spent hours pulling his kids and their friends behind the boat at Priest and Williams Lake, and if there were ever any stray kids hanging around the dock, they were included ,too.

He was probably most known for entertaining. He was called upon to be Master of Ceremonies, sing or recite cowboy poetry at many special events. He, Jeanne and Margaret Wolf were the Pioneer Association's Honored Pioneers in 2008.

Dad didn't always have a hired man and even if he did, we girls were often called on to help with cows, hogs and sheep, pick strawberries, change sprinklers, drive wheat truck, pick up parts, plant daffodils, or rogue rye. We weren't always the best help but at the end of the day we knew our reward would be "Job well done, good and faithful servant."

To dad, our grandpa and our dear friend, "Job well done, good and faithful servant."

A Celebration of Life is being planned for Saturday, January 15, 2021. Memorial donations may be sent to the Seeley Theatre, P.O. Box 648, Pomeroy, WA. 99347.