Condolences
My partner and I moved in across the street from Ken late last year. He was the first person to introduce himself and welcome us to the neighborhood. He had so much pride in his home and our street. We went away for a week in the winter and he insisted on shoveling our walk every time it snowed while we were gone. He constantly showed these acts of kindness and service in the short time we knew him. My partner and I will ensure Ken is never forgotten as we look across the street to his beautiful home and see him in the tulips that bloom.
I send my most sincere condolences to all of Ken's loved ones. I know I am but one of a huge group of people all united in our admiration for Ken's character and accomplishments, and in our grief. I have so many wonderful memories of Ken from my Esso days, and thereafter. He was a great friend and such an amazingly multi-faceted person. It was hard not to feel like a underachiever around him - he could run 1600 metres faster than I could drive it, plus he knew more about carbonate geology than I ever could. He was a consummate photographer and gardener, as well as a master chef with years of ichi ban bake-off experience under his belt. Most of all he had a world-class sense of humour and the best laugh I have ever heard. He would always call a spade a spade, but in a wickedly funny way. His passing leaves a huge hole and I hope it brings a measure of comfort to be reminded of how many people Ken connected with during his life, and how he will be remembered, respected and keenly missed by all of us.
Susan Cantlie
What an amazing person in so many ways! We're so saddened to learn of this loss and send our warmest wishes to Ken's family and so many people blessed to have had Ken in their worlds. Particular note of special thanks to Ken and his special bond with our Calgary family: neighbor extra-ordinaire, Gardiner-guru & super-friend & adventurer with our father (Gopher Museum of particular note), just to name a few - its a long long list. Ken, you left as quickly as you appeared - travel safe, good friend. We're in a better place because of you! Bill & Jocelyn Tharp (the East-Coast Clan) & Family
Ken was one of the most positive, selfless, nurturing colleagues one could have the pleasure of working with. Ken's vast interests and keen insights made him a great mentor to many who routinely sought his advice. Ken will be greatly missed by all who knew him. A sad loss.
We're deeply saddened to hear of Ken's passing. We have known Ken for over 40 years; from geology undergraduate classes at McMaster, working with him at Imperial Oil, attending our wedding, to more recently having weekly coffee chats. We have always admired Ken's quick wit, spontaneous sense of humour, warmth and kindness. We will miss him dearly. Our sincere condolences to all his family, and friends. May he rest in peace.
Condolences to the Potma family and Ken’s worldwide family of friends, into which I feel lucky to have been welcomed. Infrequent as our visits were some years, Ken always picked up as though no time ever passed, as a true pal does; just one of his many great qualities that this larger tribute and its many comments affirm. An accomplished career, a great intellect, sharp wit, and so darned good at everything. Modest and real. An engaged Calgarian. His wonderful garden. The list is long. Character of Ken’s sort is rare. I will miss our meetups which always included great hospitality, conversation, and many laughs. Thank you, Ken, for being a friend.
My sincere condolences to Ken’s family, close friends, and colleagues. My immediate thought was how his stellar speed dragged us along during a Calgary United Way Bed Race: He is either inhuman or immortal. Starting our careers in Calgary, I had the honour of joining Ken on many an outcrop in the Canadian Rockies. Always wise and inquisitive, we could share a look and come to an understanding of what needed to be done in any technical or business setting. Early in our careers we collaborated in Western Canada, then fortuitously, had unmentionable adventures in western China. “What goes on in the field, stays in the field”. Ken was always approachable, open, and a great conversationalist; especially over good food. Always lived, always great, always remembered.
I was shocked to hear of Ken’s passing, especially at such a young age. Just recently I thought of him when I purchased a book about the Geology of Alberta. I recalled attending a course at Imperial that he taught and found it to be one of the most interesting, not only because of the content but the passion he showed. One never knows the small things that can affect someone else’s life. My condolences to the family.
I’d like to express my deepest condolences to family and friends a Ken Potma. He was a great colleague, and friend, and I enjoyed every minute I had to work with him. I loved his vigor for life and his passion for geology which I experienced many times in the mountains and outcrops in western Canada. I also appreciated his mentorship and willingness to train and develop a young geophysicist. He was always so light-hearted and fun to be around while sharing his wisdom and love of the carbonates!
He will be missed and I wish you all peace and comfort through this time.
Ken had the transformative effect of making an Imperial Oil office a fun place to work. He was always generous with his time and knowledge, and confronted adversity with a smile. Definitely a loss for his family and friends, but also a splendid example of a life well lived.
I chased Ken around the track in practice and competition, he inspired my love of the sport. He was always compassionate and helpful at work. Thank you Ken. Miss you.
I first met Ken in 2011, during an expat assignment to Imperial Oil. I knew nothing about Canadian geology, but Ken was there, and willing to help. Intimidated by his knowledge of a multitude of interests? Absolutely! But he was an open book and reveled in sharing his experiences and knowledge with whomever asked. His generosity, curiosity, and humor were legendary! He was an inspiration to so many, and will truly be missed.
"Thank you, Ken, for all the conversation and friendship."
I met Ken during university track and field days, so fast and so funny. I cherished our friendship. I will never forget the Halloween party where he came as the Statue of Liberty, lights and all, plus his Sapporo Ichiban Bake-off competition was legendary. Such a wonderful and talented friend, Ken was an original.
Jackie Pyke
Ken made me laugh till I cried. I remember him driving 4 of us in a rental car 5 miles below the speed limit to get to some bottle cap house tourist attraction or what not in Dickeyville, WI. We were all screaming, “Faster! We gotta get back to the wedding in 35 minutes!” Hilarious. Thanks for the fun times, Ken.
Although I didn't know Ken all that well I will always remember his great sense of humor and his brilliant wonderful smile. Ken was a wonderful human being, he will be missed by many. May you Rest In Peace.
Lieve familie,
Gecondoleerd met het verlies van Kenny, het is toch wel schrikken dat hij niet meer onder ons is vooral als ik mij bedenk dat Kenny en ik bijna even oud zijn. Het maakt mij weer bewust van de tijdelijkheid hier op aarde.
Ik wens jullie Gods zegen en troost van harte toe.
Jullie neef Jan de Boer.
“What are you doing know?”
A wonderfully fun and curious phrase said by Ken probably daily. I shall miss hearing it from him.
I wish to send warm wishes to Ken's family and wide circle of friends at this time. I had the pleasure of knowing Ken for over 30 some years and will sorely miss his warmth, caring, humour and love of life.
First written in 2009. After reviewing it, no updates were necessary. Character rarely changes.
Ken Potma is a consummate professional who melds extraordinary attention to detail, with broad technical competence and an unmatched ethical character. He solves problems, shares his learning and supports his teammates with passion.
I have worked with Ken on two different occasions in my career. The first time was in the 80’s in Calgary where were selected to be one of the first cross functional teams in the corporation. We were a team of young geologists embedded in with reservoir and production engineers working on depletion strategies for the Devonian carbonate reservoirs of the Western Canadian Basin. Even then, as a young man, it was obvious that Ken was someone special. His passion for his science and his work was infectious.
More recently I worked with Ken while we were both seconded into RasGas, developing ExxonMobil’s interest in the North Field in Qatar. His expertise in Carbonate systems and reservoir evaluation were critical in the development of the field. He brought clarity to the depositional and digenetic history of the Khuff Reservoir. However, his greatest achievements were in relationship building within the team and with the many partners involved in drilling over 100 wells that are now producing more than 10 GCF per day.
Within the team he was a leader and shared his knowledge and experience freely through formal teaching and informal mentoring. This was especially true for the many Qatari nationals that filtered through the group on training assignments. This same leadership extended to relationship building with the national oil company, Qatar Petroleum, and with drilling, completions, facilities, contractors, and management. He was a champion of integration, working closely with interpreters, petrophysicists (even the cranky ones), and reservoir engineers, creating an open sharing environment where all would benefit.
He was responsible for having an ablution station being built in the RasGas building to facilitate our Muslim co-workers in their preparation for prayers. He visited the workers in the camps and brought to them gifts and inspiration. He was always looking for ways to help others. He once bought a dozen or so thobes so the workers in their blue overalls could wear them to get into the shopping malls on their only day off.
I benefited personally from this character. While in Doha, I broke my leg playing hockey and Ken was the first on the scene to help me out. He was there for me through the entire ordeal and even helped design a rehab method in the pool that accelerated my recovery to the surgeon’s amazement. On another occasion my son blacked out from dehydration after sailing on Doha Bay. Ken was there again and took my daughters to lunch and shopping while I took my son to the hospital.
I realize that this is not an application for saint-hood. The point is that Ken’s character is outstanding and it is that character that has brought him to the pinnacle of professionalism.
Grant Heavysege, Melbourne, Australia 2009, in support of his Peter Vail candidacy.
On a more personal note, Ken was always a favorite dinner guest or host of ours; so easy to chat with on an immense range of topics and always with a twinkle in his eye. RIP my dear friend, we will all miss you.
What a tragic loss! Ken was the best geologist I have ever worked with. He even made rocks make sense to an engineer! I fondly remember working with and learning from Ken, especially on the field trips where he was so passionate about the rocks and so good at explaining things. I send my sincere condolences to Ken's close friends and family.
The world has lost an incredible life. Ken was the best geologist we had worked with together before his retirement. He was our go to person for advices. One of his best advices was keeping learning on daily base. Ken was not only caring about people around him, but also donating generously to charity. It was like yesterday that he used to check with all co-workers on the same floor at the end of each working day by asking the same question-" Is everything under control?" Ken will be missed by us. Our deepest sympathies go out to Ken's family, relatives and friends. Hope we all would try our best to keep things under control. R.I.P Ken. -----
Awa Chen & Martin Huang
Time is something we all have but sadly we do not know how much. Ken lived his life well and those of us who knew him were truly blessed to have done so. The memories that we share transcend death and that is wonderful. While God has taken you from us far too soon we will always cherish your memory. R.I.P. my friend.
I have so many lovely memories of Ken - his mentorship as a more experienced geologist, his leadership as a scientist, and his humor as a friend. I remember with a smile freezing together while wading in a mountain stream for eight hours while measuring section. I remember laughing together while clearing seemingly endless masses of rock and debris from a mountainside in order to prepare it for measurement. Ken taught me so many lessons about our science and about good citizenship as a colleague. He taught me that even in tough times, a great sense of humor can act like a rudder in the water keeping you steady and on course. I will sorely miss him. - Jay Kalbas
Ken always had a big smile, and a friendly and interesting chat would develop spontaneously any time you met him at work or on the street. He enjoyed relaxing with friends on his annual vacations in Hawaii, and happily shared information about a place worth visiting. Ken had a keen sense of "the right thing to do" - this included convincing a bank to provide a chair for a employee who would otherwise have had to stand for a full shift at work. The group I worked with enjoyed their interactions with the friendly an enthusiastic person that Ken was.
Ken and I were colleagues at ExxonMobil (though he would be quick to remind me that he was actually an Imperial Geologist). When we were looking for an experienced carbonate sedimentologist to fill a role as a secondee to RasGas in Doha in 2005, Ken’s name came up. Though I had never worked with him, his reputation was well known. I felt like we were getting Babe Ruth to come to a minor league baseball team. And it was true. Ken “upped our game” considerably as he shared his deep experience and insights on the Khuff reservoir to all willing to listen. Combine that knowledge with a kind heart and love for people and you will find Ken Potma. Gone too soon, but loved nonetheless.
Ken was a colleague and friend in Doha and will be truly missed. His intelligence, enthusiasm and wit came through every time you talked to him, and my wife & I were lucky to have him as a fellow traveller on safari in Tanzania and on our visit to Jordan (where we had to have a photo of Ken floating in the Dead Sea reading the ‘Potma News’ for its next edition), great memories. We were also fortunate to have him as a guest, here in North Wales with a few great walks in the area. So sorry to hear of his sudden passing.
Ken was a passionate and caring co-worker. It was great that I had opportunity to work with him for about a year or so. I was fascinated by his travel journey and passion about his job. He will always be remembered as a positive character.
I met Ken in 2001 over a mentor-mentee lunch when I started working at ExxonMobil/Imperial. We went to a restaurant near Calgary Tower and he told me the whole story about the restaurant being a nightclub during the 1970s and 1980s - it was very interesting to hear him create a full picture as if he was explaining the depositional environment of a carbonate reef over 100 million years timeline.
We have been friends since (even though life pulls us all in different directions). My last conversation with Ken was in early March 2022 for a volunteering opportunity, but he kindly declined and said I am working full-time (volunteering) on the ATLAS project for AER.
Going back on the memory lane...Back in 2005, I was moving to Doha and he convinced me otherwise to keep my house and not sell it -one of my best investment decisions coming from GEOBODY - Go figure, but it is plausible since I am just an Engineer.
Soon after I arrived in Doha, Ken showed up and I was extremely happy to see him, now that all Geo questions will be answered at all hours of the day. We had many work meetings, company social events and dinners together at my place and his place in Doha - a great friend a awesome host. My wife really enjoyed Ken's company and recalls having a ball with him on 'people watching'.at parties.
I am happy that I met Ken and was able to spend time with him, but a few months ago I said to him, once the 'dust settles' we will have you over for dinner (summer 2022), but life had different plans. We LOVE U KEN and u are missed. Mohammed
Ken and I were roommates for 2 years in Calgary back in the mid 80s. He was also the emcee at my wedding. Ken and I were both runners, although he ran for the OTHER club ... but we didn't hold that against him.
I remember Ken as a generous, funny, kind, and independent-minded guy. He didn't own a car at the time - he was content to use public transit or walk or run to get around. He was also the first guy around my age who actually bought real furniture. I mean, who buys real furniture when you're only in your mid 20s? ;-)
Later in life, Ken and I went our separate ways, but I did run into him every few years - the last time was in the Vancouver airport when we were both heading off on a winter vacation - he loved his travelling. The last time I saw him, Ken was still Ken - funny, optimistic, kind, interested in what you were doing, etc.
Ken will be greatly missed. Too young ...
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