The MJHL extends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Ken Kronson. Ken had a long association with our league, serving as president and director with the then Winnipeg South Blues. Below is Ken’s obituary:
KENNETH HOWARD KRONSON Peacefully, after a brief battle with cancer, surrounded by his closest friend and cousins, Kenneth Howard Kronson, passed away on February 6, 2017 at the St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was preceded in death by his father Philip, his mother Jessie and his brother Paul. He leaves to mourn his wife Johanna, also of Winnipeg; his son Jeffrey and daughter-in-law Jean Kronson; (grandchildren, Mia, Gabriel and Aaron), of Los Angeles, CA and his daughter Sari and son-in-law Wojtek Kuczynski of Goodyear, AZ. Kenny was born on May 9, 1940 in Winnipeg where he lived all his life. His interest in sports and athletics was life long and he was intensely involved in soccer and basketball. His later life would be dominated by his love of hockey. He went on to the University of Manitoba where he studied Sciences and graduated with a BSC in Pharmacy in 1962. Kenny met Johanna Schindle with whom he spent most of his adult life in 1984 and they were officially married 26 years later in 2010. He began working with his father in pharmacy in the mid-to-late 1960’s. After the family moved south to River Heights, his father Phil along with a few other astute pharmacist/businessmen began the Metro Drugs franchise. It was a fixture in Winnipeg from 1965 to 1981 when the corporation was sold. Kenny began the second of three businesses in the early 1980’s, Midwest Geriatrics, which was devoted to providing prescriptions to Winnipeg’s larger nursing facilities. After Midwest completed its run in the late eighties Kenny embarked upon a new project with a new goal, Medi-Mart Pharmacy on Pembina Highway, which grew over the next 17 years. He sold Medi-Mart Pharmacy in 2006 and retired from the profession having helped countless people with affordable prescription drugs, many for the first time ever. Kenny’s love of hockey began when his cousin, Ben Hatskin, brought the Winnipeg Jets and the WHA to Winnipeg in 1972. Kenny was heavily involved with the Winnipeg South Monarchs. From there he went on to the Winnipeg South Blues where he served as President and lifetime Director. He remained a vital and integral member of the Board up until his passing. Finally, he was part of the Executive Board of the World Junior Championships when it was held in Winnipeg in 1999. His contributions to minor hockey in Winnipeg will be difficult to duplicate and the void he leaves will be near impossible to replace. Easily Kenny’s most significant contribution and lasting legacy came through sports. Kenny along with his close friend Ernie Nairn founded the YMHA Sportsman’s Dinner in 1972. Kenny was the Dinner’s Chairman until about three years ago. This remains the first dinner of its kind and is well-known throughout Canada and parts of the United States as a groundbreaking fundraiser that has hosted every major sports figure from almost every sport. From its inception in 1972 to the most recent dinner in 2016, the “Y” Sports Dinner chaired by Kenny has raised over seven million dollars, a feat that may never be replicated. His passing left an irreplaceable hole in the dinner committee. Kenny left a legacy of altruistic volunteerism and gave of himself tirelessly again and again. To quote Harvey Rosen in the Winnipeg Jewish Post and News, “His like shall not pass this way again.” In lieu of flowers kindly direct donations to the Ken Kronson Fund, at the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.
