Ken Blumberg, age 71 of Eden Prairie (formerly of Prior Lake), passed away on Monday, April 24, 2023 following a tragic accident.
A public gathering of family and friends will be held at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation (833 S. Marschall Road) in Shakopee on Sunday, May 7, 2023 from 11:00 AM – 12:00 Noon with a private family service to follow. Ken will be laid to rest at St. Michael Cemetery in Prior Lake. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred and will be distributed in Ken’s honor by his family.
On January 15, 1952, Ed and Ethel Blumberg welcomed the fourth of their six children, Kenneth John Blumberg, to the world. Ken grew up in the Prior Lake area with his siblings and attended Prior Lake area schools. His family has many fond memories with him playing, hunting, and of family trips “up north” for an annual trip to a cabin on Lake George. From a young age, Ken was a gifted athlete. He played football, basketball, and baseball for Prior Lake High School, and was consistently an “All Conference” player. He was a particularly talented catcher for the baseball team; and upon graduating from high school, brought his talents to the Mankato State University baseball team. He played baseball for Mankato State while getting his forestry degree. Ken was later inducted into the Mankato State Baseball Hall of Fame for his achievements.
Upon graduation from Mankato, Ken worked as a forestry apprentice and picked up a side job painting homes; he quickly learned that he had a knack for the work and decided to make a career of it! His strong, industrious work ethic led him to great success. Ken’s work ethic extended to his physical fitness as well. He ate well and exercised daily. While working out at the Burnsville Racket Club, he crossed paths with Karen, and the rest was history. The pair were married in 2002.
Through their marriage, Ken welcomed Karen’s children Andy and Karenea into his life. He loved them dearly and treated them as his own. As Andy and Karenea got older, Ken was blessed to become “Papa” to his 5 grandchildren. He was delighted to spend time with them, particularly hunting and fishing.
Ken was a lifelong sports fan, and liked watching the Cardinals and Twins- if he was out and about with family or friends, he made sure to ask them to “turn on the Twins”! He was also an avid outdoorsman, enjoying many trips hunting deer with his brothers in Minnesota, Colorado, Saskatchewan and Wisconsin for the past 25 years. Ken also made countless fishing trips with family and friends.
Above all, Ken was a kind, loving, and considerate man. He made an impact on everyone he met, and will forever be missed by his loving wife, Karen Blumberg; children, Andy (Amanda) Peterson and Karenea (Alex) Lai; grandchildren, Zachary and Cassandra Peterson, Katelyn, Kailey and Austin Lai; siblings, Jan Rahbain, Glady (Ben) Pahl, Tom (Cheryl) Blumberg, Carol Ferrier and Dan Blumberg; beloved dog, Meka; many nieces, nephews, other loving relatives and many dear friends.
Greeting him home in Heaven are his parents, Ed and Ethel Blumberg; and nephew, Joshua Olson.
