Services will be held Dec. 9 at History Boy Theatre in Jefferson for Kenneth “Buford” Pedersen, 77, of Jefferson.
The Rev Laura Rasmussen will give the welcome. Music will include a vocal selection by Robert Pedersen. Honorary bearers will be Richard Rasmussen, Keith Conroy, Jerry Deluhery, Marv Book, the Jefferson fire department, and the founding partners of Nikkle and Associates – Carroll Nikkle, Randy Burkhart, Craig Gillman, Tim Lawson and Dennis Tiernan.
Private interment will take place at a later date at the Jefferson Municipal Cemetery.
Kenneth Duane Pedersen was born Aug. 26, 1945, to Virgil and Lillian (Rasmussen) Pedersen at the Greene County Hospital in Jefferson. The family lived at that time in rural Audubon County but soon moved to the farm west of Dana where he grew to adulthood.
Ken attended Dana Consolidated School until the school joined with Grand Junction and Rippey. He graduated from East Greene High School in May, 1963. He took pride in telling that he “worked his way through high school” playing cards at the gas station in Dana. He was also a 4-H member for many years.
After school, Ken chose a career of electricity following in his dad’s footsteps. He enrolled in a correspondence course, studied hard and soon became employed by Ben Wuebker in Jefferson, then Shriver Construction and Sweeney, Manning & Sievert. In 1985 he and several electricians founded Nikkel & Associates in Ames and he completed his career there until retirement in 2010. He often traveled installing underground high voltage electrical systems for cities and municipalities.
Ken’s hobbies included tractors, tractors and more tractors – he had many, from full-size, to garden tractors and pedal tractors. He loved to work on them, take part in parades, the tractor rides and the “hunt” to find just the right one or the most unusual one to restore. Other interests included card playing, car racing, Hawkeye sports, deer hunting in Wisconsin and his 4 pm happy hour.
Ken was a big man with a heart of gold – he would give you his last dollar or the shirt he was wearing.
On January 24, 1969 he and Linda Adair were married in Princeton, MO. To this union, two children were born, Angela Ilene (Angel) and Robert Virgil.
Ken was preceded in death by his parents, his younger brother Jack, and nephew Chad Kinzebach.
He is survived by his wife; children Angel (Steve Zimmer) and Robby; grandchildren Samantha (Brandon) Schmidt, Ryan Hammel, and Rhett Hammel; great-grands Maelee, Jadyn, Jordyn and Brenton Schmidt; two sisters Mary Buchman of Gilbert and Jan (Bill) Schmitt of Alleman; nieces and nephews; many cousins; and a host of friends.
Services by Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home, Jefferson.
