News

It is with great sorrow that we inform you that our friend and colleague Ken McAllister died on the evening of Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at Vancouver General Hospital after a courageous battle with cancer.

In the health update provided to Regent in the week before he died, his wife Jen referred to Ken as "this most amazing, positive, creative, inspiring man." Everyone who has worked with Ken would thoroughly agree. We praise God for Ken's strong faith in the face of great suffering, and for his 25 years of outstanding service to the Lord on the staff of Regent College. As we receive this news, we would invite your prayers for Jen and their children, and for everyone who loved Ken.

Ken’s relationship with Regent College was one of enduring, humble devotion. Ken began his position as Regent’s Webmaster in 1999. He was hired by the late Dal Schindell, then Regent’s long-time Director of Publications, to run Regent’s website, and generally to handle the digital side of the College’s communications.

Kit Schindell, Dal’s widow and a long-time friend of Regent, related that when she met Ken as a young man and new hire at Regent, he impressed her as “a great guy, a survivor of serious medical issues, and filled with a warm and kindly spirit. He had a brilliant, searching mind, and many interests. Ken melted into the Regent community as if he’d been born there.” Kit added that she likes “to think of the two old friends, Dal and Ken, being reunited. Teasing. Laughing. No more pain.”

Regent College President Jeff Greenman said, ​​“Ken McAllister was a faithful witness to Jesus and to the gospel, a person of hope, prayer, and courage. The Regent community is deeply grateful that Ken shared his God-given talents, energy, and commitment with us at Regent for just a few weeks less than 25 years. He loved Regent's vision, mission, people, and community life. In his last months, he shared with us his difficult journey of suffering and inspired us with his trust in God and confidence in the resurrection.”

In addition to his talents as Webmaster, Ken was a dedicated, gifted photographer. His photos of Regent College are among some of the most familiar to the College’s community, and he also took many photos of special moments for students, staff, and faculty.

Genevieve Walker, Multimedia Content Creator in the Communications office and graduating MATS student, said, “I have worked alongside Ken over the past three years in the Communications team at Regent. He was always open to chat about photography and camera gear, and I always looked forward to seeing his beautiful landscape photos. I also loved stopping by his office and hearing his favourite moments and memories from his 25 years at Regent. Ken was funny and quick-witted, and had such a kind heart—he cared so deeply for the people around him and loved this community so well.” Reflecting on Ken’s role in teaching her, Gen said, “it was an honour to learn from him.”

Photos by Ken McAllister, taken at Regent College and Kye Bay

Ken’s warmth was well-known within the Regent community, and an unmistakable part of that was his humour. Director of Communications Jeremy Stewart remembers how “Ken and I knew each other from Uptown Church in White Rock, where we played music together on the worship team (Ken was a great drummer, too). Our families are friends, and we’ve visited each other's homes many times over the years. It was actually through Ken that I heard about the job at Regent. When I was hired, he texted me, saying ‘Congratulations! They’ll have told you that Paul Spilsbury is your boss, but it’s actually me. Paul takes my advice on everything. Trust me.’ Ken was worthy of that trust and more. He was also very funny—I think of him with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.”

A Celebration of Life service for Ken will be held at Peace Portal Alliance Church in Surrey, BC, on Thursday, June 27, at 11 am.

We close with a passage from a work that was very dear to Ken.

Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.’

Then Frodo kissed Merry and Pippin, and last of all Sam, and went aboard; and the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew, and slowly the ship slipped away down the long grey firth; and the light of the glass of Galadriel that Frodo bore glimmered and was lost. And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed on into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.

—J. R. R. Tolkien, The Return of the King