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Kenneth Ryan Tanemura, a water and alpine skiing, woodworking, guitar-playing, pun-loving man of many talents and hobbies, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 10th in his home, surrounded by his family.

Ryan was the oldest of three, born on April 1st, 1956, to Ken (September 14th, 1922 - March 26th, 1997) and Kiyoe Tanemura (September 22, 1933 - October 14th, 2011) in Salmon Arm, BC.

Ryan was an electrician by trade, and ran his own electrical contracting company for 25 years. He was a tremendous woodworker and an avid skier amongst many other things. He also enjoyed fly fishing, fly tying, and played the guitar for nearly 50 years, in many styles & genres. A self-sufficient man, with a do-it- yourself frame of mind, Ryan’s projects were often ‘made from scratch’; a deck made from the trees on their 18 acre property, or kitchen cabinets made from birch he had cut down himself. He made three cedar strip canoes, each their own work of art. Everything he built was of the highest quality, and left many of us scratching our heads in awe — and bewilderment — of his genius.

He loved his wife, Julie (nee Feuz), who he met at one of his best friend’s wedding in 1982. Julie had a love for travelling, and went to Australia with her best friend, Laurie, for a planned six months. In one of the most romantic gestures of his life, he chased her down to Australia a month later, and the trio adventured from Sydney, to Adelaide and then to Brisbane. In 1987, they were married at the Tanemura family’s cabin on Shuswap Lake, and at the end of 1988, their first daughter, Jaclyn, was born, followed by their youngest daughter, Ashlee, in 1991.

Ryan’s easygoing nature and sense of humour always put the people around him at ease. He was a remarkable man in all aspects of his life. His engaging laugh, infectious smile and brilliant flair for problem solving will leave us with warm memories, and his unshakable integrity a legacy for his daughters to aspire to.

He will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Julie, and his daughters Ashlee and Jaclyn, and Jaclyn’s husband Brandon Kaufman. He is also survived by his two sisters and their husbands, Terry Lynn and David Durrer, and Heather Tanemura and Sean Donnelly, and his numerous nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held October 15th at The Gathering Place, 350 30th ST NE, Salmon Arm, BC at 1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the charity of your choice in Ryan’s name. Online condolences may be made on the Facebook group “In Memory of Ryan Tanemura” where you may share any memories, photos and videos of Ryan that you may have.

Online condolences may be sent through Ryan’s obituary at www.bowersfuneralservice.com



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