Kenneth J. Panger, 87

St. Cloud

May 7, 1938 – June 18, 2025

 

Kenneth James Panger, age 87, of St. Cloud, died Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at Summit Ridge Memory Care in Sauk Rapids, MN.

A lifelong resident of Minnesota, Ken was born on May 7, 1938, in Cloquet, MN to Seonal and Germaine (Valley) Panger. Following graduation from Cloquet High School in 1956 he joined the U.S. Army and received an honorable discharge after three years of service.

He married Sinikka Koskivirta on June 18, 1959, in Helsinki, Finland. Ken and Sinikka made their home in Cloquet where they raised their three children. Ken was employed at Potlatch Paper Company for thirteen years where, after four years of education, he became certified in industrial instrumentation.

After he and Sinikka developed their Finnish import business, FinnAm Corporation, Ken devoted fulltime to working in and expanding the business in five locations in Minnesota.

Following their divorce and the dissolution of FinnAm, Ken married Janet Ann Schultz on June 18, 1979, and moved to St. Cloud where he became a licensed commercial real estate appraiser and broker.

As he neared retirement Ken began working with mission teams in Guatemala and Tanzania. Over the years he served on more than 33 teams bringing clean water, medical services, and stoves to people living in poverty.

On these mission trips Ken learned that many children were dying from drinking contaminated water. He vowed to find a way to bring clean water to the rural areas he visited. Ken went on to facilitate the installation of several wells. One of the greatest moments in his life was receiving a follow up letter stating that “no children died from drinking contaminated water last year.”

During his third trip to Tanzania Ken climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro with his children,Christel and Erick and daughter-in-law Bobbie. A few years later when he was nearing 71 years old, Ken climbed to the summit of Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina at 23,000 feet without oxygen.

Ken enjoyed hunting elk and pheasants with his three beautiful Golden Retrievers, fishing, playing his violin and mandolin with several groups, woodworking, cooking, traveling with his wife, and spending time with family and friends. He loved the challenge of learning, inventing, and fixing things in creative ways.

As a hospital volunteer Ken counted it a privilege to spend time with dying patients who had no family in the No One Dies Alone program at the St. cloud Hospital.

Ken is survived by his children, Christel (Dr. Timothy Smith) Danna, Gene (Anne Fresilli-Panger) Panger, and Erick Panger; grandchildren, Samantha (Destin douglas) Panger, Maija (Michael) Laris, and Aaron (Manila) Panger; 7 great-grandchildren; his brothers, James and William; and former daughter-in-law, Bobbie Panger.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Janet; brothers, Donald, Gale, and Thomas.

In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to Outreach Africa Inc. or Tri-County Humane Society.