Kenneth Moller Pedersen passed away suddenly in Ottawa, surrounded by his family on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at 59 years old. He had fought a courageous battle with lung cancer for a little over a year.
Ken was a devoted husband to Sandy Szeles and a loving father to Ashley Eva Pedersen and Brandon Thomas Pedersen. He is also survived by his mother Kirsten T. Foster, and his brother Christian Pedersen (Nicole Pedersen); their children Ty and Hayden, as well as all of the extended family on Sandy’s side. Ken will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by all who knew him.
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Ken came to Canada with his parents when he was 2 years old. Ken loved many things in life, some of which were football (Go Bucs Go!), The Grinch, coaching soccer, Poker, BBQing, cooking, and music. His love for music included many genres from Blues to classic Rock ‘n Roll. His favourite band was Led Zeppelin.
He enjoyed learning to build new things such as decks and fences. Another one of his passions was decorating at Halloween and Christmas. Ken would always spend hours decorating and every year would try to add something new to make it bigger and better. Let’s not forget his fabulous Grinch Village that he’d put up every year!
Above all his greatest joy was being a husband and a dad, and he always took pride in teaching his children about music, soccer, puzzles, and football. He also loved the simple things in life like listening to the birds outside while having his morning coffee.
Ken was taken from us to soon, but his legacy will always be in our hearts. He will be remembered by many people in many different ways. Some will remember him as a hair stylist, some as a soccer coach, some for his bad dad jokes or his wonderful BBQ Ribs and spaghetti sauce, but the one consistency is that everyone will remember him for his kindness, his love and his ability to make you laugh.
Family and Friends are invited to gather at Beechwood Funeral, Cemetery and Cremation Services (280 Beechwood Ave, Ottawa, ON), for a Celebration of Life and Reception in the Fleming Suites on January 31, 2026, from 4pm to 6pm.
Donations to The Canadian Cancer Society in his honor are appreciated.