Kenneth Winans Kloehn M.D.

October 06, 1940 - October 09, 2020

Kenneth Winans Kloehn M.D.

October 06, 1940 - October 09, 2020

Obituary

Kenneth Winans Kloehn MD, age 80 of Bellingham, passed away October 9, 2020 due to Progressive Muscular Atrophy, a form of ALS (Lou Gehrig disease), at his home with his wife and family by his side.

Ken was born in Appleton, WI on October 6, 1940 to Kenneth Edward and Elizabeth Jane Winans Kloehn. He is survived by his wife Margie Jo Thompson Kloehn of the family home; sons Scott Thompson Kloehn (Jennifer) of Seattle, WA and Kristofer Kenneth Kloehn of Hood River, OR; his loving granddaughter Isabella Johnson Kloehn of Seattle, WA; brothers Ted Oliver Kloehn (Jeanne) of Madison, WI and Peter Allen Kloehn (Helene) of Freeport, NY; and his niece Kathryn Elizabeth Kloehn (Christopher Olsen) of Madison, WI.

Ken graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy in Madison, WI in 1963. In 1967 he received his MD degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. While there he met his wife Margie Jo Thompson and they were married September 18, 1965 in Superior, WI. Ken was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society, and Nu Sigma Nu Medical fraternity.

Upon graduation they moved to Stockton, CA where Ken interned at San Joaquin General Hospital. When he finished they took the ferry up the Inside Passage to Alaska where Ken practiced general medicine in Homer, Alaska while waiting to enter the Naval Flight Surgery program in Pensacola, FL.

Upon completion of his flight surgery training they moved to Oak Harbor, WA where Ken was stationed at NAS Whidbey as a Naval flight surgeon for several years achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

When Ken finished his tour of duty at NAS Whidbey, ever an innovator, he joined a newly forming group of full time emergency room physicians at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bellingham, WA and soon started the full time ER coverage in Mt Vernon at Skagit Valley Hospital.

In 1973, they and their first son Scott moved to Seattle where Ken completed his Anesthesiology residency at the University of Washington. When they returned to Bellingham, he joined Bellingham Anesthesia Associates which was just forming. Their second son Kristofer was born there.

Ken later spearheaded the formation and building of Pacific Rim Outpatient Surgery Center in Bellingham. While practicing in Bellingham he served as president the Whatcom County Medical Society as well as numerous professional committees.

When not in the O.R. he could be found on a lake or river pursuing his beloved fly fishing as well as tying flies or acting as president of Fourth Corner Fly Fishers, working on their environmental projects, sailing the waters of the San Juan Islands, the Gulf Islands, or Desolation Sound, or reading a good book. Once Ken retired, he never missed lunch on Fridays with his BB fly fishing friends. It was the highlight of his week. Ken was a truly amazing man, and he will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Whatcom Hospice Foundation or the Nature Conservancy.

Due to the pandemic, a private family burial with military honors was held at Bayview Cemetery on October 23, 2020.

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5 responses to Kenneth Winans Kloehn M.D.

  1. Roy Wilson says:

    I enjoyed many fly fishing outings with Ken. He was great at sharing his fishing and fly tying stories and expertise. He was good company around a camp fire. My condolences to his family at home and his family at 4th Corner Fly Fishers.

  2. Dear Margie, Scott, and Kris…….This is a great picture of an incredibly fine man, husband, father and physician; handsome, ruddy with the outdoors around and within him, and with that wry smile so typical of Ken. I can hear his laughter still!

    I have, like so many of his friends, many wonderful memories of this dear man and this wonderful, highly competent partner in our anesthesiology group. In the very beginning, Ken there to greet me at my first interview with Brian Walters, Tom Callender, Brian Oliver, and George Rofkar nearly 36 years ago.

    During my first days, weeks and months of practice, Ken was always there for me. He had great guidance and would check in to see how things were going. He was helpful our navigation of the various adventures settling into Bellingham. He knew just how the group functioned, and what each surgeon was like. Ken was ever thoughtful and conservative in his discipline care of patients undergoing anesthesia. He was a strong partner, able to voice his thoughtful opinions and at the same time listen to the rest of us. Ken really pioneered the vision of an outpatient surgery center here, and his legacy is a state of the art ASC at Pacific Rim (PROSC). Ken was highly respected throughout his career by his many partners in Bellingham Anesthesia Associates.

    I loved hearing about his outdoor life. It was always a delight to talk to Ken about so many different kinds of fishing he enjoyed. And I knew he was a wonderful man because he was married to Margie, who is one of the funniest people I have ever been around. Gatherings in their beautiful home were always warm and filled with laughter.

    I just loved him. I share your grief. I miss his presence in our lives, and may God Bless Ken in his transition into the divine.

  3. I worked with Ken in the O.R. He was a great anesthesiologist and a personal friend. I will truly miss him and his great smile and laugh. I send my heartfelt condolences, love and hugs to Margie, his sons, and his extended family.

  4. Judy Mccombs says:

    I worked with Dr. Kloehn at St. Lukes , and subsequently, St, Joseph’s. He was an excellent anesthesiologist, who cared for his patients. My condolences.

  5. Dear Margie,
    I just learned of Ken’s death in a King County Medical Society newsletter. I’ve often thought of both of you over the many years (nearly 50??!!) since we last got together but want you to know Ken was never forgotten. Whenever I’ve been through Bellingham, and especially when I am fortunate enough to get to Whistler, I think of Ken. As you hopefully recall – and as I can never forget – Ken reduced my dislocated shoulder in the condo we shared on a ski trip long before the “New Whistler” became a reality. I had skied down ahead of you and fell right at the top of the old Whistler Creek gondola. I knew something was wrong with my shoulder but wasn’t aware of HOW wrong it was. I elected to ride the gondola down while you, Ken and June made another couple runs. At least an hour later you returned to the condo. I still had been unable to get out of my ski gear because my shoulder hurt too much. The 3 of you helped me out of my jacket and sweater, at which point I’ll never forget June’s “Oh my God!” comment. If she could tell my shoulder was dislocated, it was pretty obvious. Thankfully, you and Ken were there. Ken made a couple tries at re-locating it without success. But the condo had a loft with a sort of “picket fence” railing above the living room. You all helped me up there, helped position my aching arm down through a couple of the pickets while I lay prone in the loft. Ken went back down to the living room, grabbed my wrist and (I believe) started hanging on my arm with most of his weight, telling me to “relax” my arm at the same time. Shortly thereafter, I felt the comforting “THUNK” of the humerus popping back into its socket. If I recall correctly, I actually went back up skiing the next day, at least for 1 run, with my arm in a sling and a single ski pole. Needless to say, that event became a core memory. The condo we stayed in still exists, and I’ve driven by it a few times just to renew the memory of that trip.

    Ken was a special person and I’m sorry we never re-connected after a single visit to your home on the Lake a couple years later, but want you to know that you both never left my heart. Much has changed over the years, but my memories of Ken have not.

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