Kenneth M. Grinde, 92, passed away Oct. 8, 2013, at his home in Prineville, Ore. There will not be any services at this time.  

Ken was born on Nov. 18, 1920, to Ben Grinde and Ruth Baker in Onamia, Minn. 

After high school he served in the U.S. Army during 1942 through 1946 in the Radar and Radio Engineering Division, Aleutian Islands, Alaska.  

After the service, Ken met his wife Cecile R. Rehder and began raising three children while he pursued an ambitious career as an aerospace engineer for Lockheed Martin. He spent nearly 20 years as an electrical engineer, launch coordinator and systems analyst for Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Titan II projects.

In 1971 the couple moved to Bigfork where Ken worked as a carpenter and started Grinde Construction in 1974. In 2004, Ken retired to Oregon to be with his daughter Lorna and family.  

Ken is survived by his sons, Dan Grinde of Kalispell and Keith Grinde of Bigfork; daughter, Lorna Grinde, of Prineville; seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.  

Memorial contributions may be made to Prineville Hospice or Quick Response Unit of Bigfork, through Whispering Pines Funeral Home, 185 NE 4th Street Prineville, OR 97754.