Rev. Dr. Kenneth Duane Hyatt

Kenneth D. Hyatt, 79, dear friend, father, brother, grandfather, uncle, and spouse, of Grantsburg, WI, was welcomed to his heavenly home by his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Tuesday, January 30, 2018, with his family by his side.  He fought a good fight, but the Lord decided to rearrange his schedule and called Ken home sooner than we’d hoped. 

Ken was born to Matt and Saimie (nee Kangas) Hietala, in Toivola, MN, on October 10, 1938, where he spoke Finnish until the 4th grade and helped out with the family-run ‘co-op’ store, later moving to Duluth.  

Following his 1956 graduation from Duluth Central High School, he enlisted in the US Navy.  As an enlisted man with the help of the Navigators, Ken found Jesus and became immersed in the Christian faith that transformed his life and the lives of so many around him.

After his first Naval tour, Ken attended the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he met his wife-to-be, Janet. They were married in Duluth, MN, in 1963.

The ministry became his calling, and Ken attended Dallas Theological Seminary, and then Talbot Theological Seminary while pastoring a church in the Los Angeles area.  

In 1966, Ken was recommissioned as a Lieutenant Commander with the Navy and Marine Corps, serving as an officer in the Chaplain Corp, notably during the Vietnam War.  He was discharged from active duty with full honors in 1969 and remained in the service of military personnel at Fort Snelling Chapel as a Resident Navy Chaplain.

Upon completion of his active military service, Ken went on to pastor churches in Iowa and Wisconsin, moving his family to Grantsburg in 1973.  

During those years, he continued his academic theological pursuits, culminating in a doctoral degree in the new field of Marketplace Ministry.  In 1982, Ken founded Life Management Inc, a first-of-its-kind Christian employee counseling agency, where he ministered to and assisted countless employees in companies large and small as one of the first independent EAP (employee assistance program) providers in the country.

He concurrently spent ten years as Senior Staff Chaplain at St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center (now Regions Hospital), and in that context, he served as an adjunct professor for Bethel Seminary, teaching crisis and other counseling.

Ken’s primary joy was to open doors for Jesus.  He was a gifted preacher of God’s Word, who served devotedly throughout his life and especially during his ‘retirement years’ as an interim minister, bible study leader and pulpit supply for area churches, touching and shepherding many parishioners, mentees, and churches through transitions, big and small.

Ken was always active – notably as a veteran marathon runner, but also enjoying hiking, cross-country biking, wilderness canoeing and camping, as well as being a grandpa to his six wonderful grandkids.  

He will be dearly missed by his family, friends, parishioners, mentees and coffee klatch cronies, who all celebrate the fact that he is at peace with his Creator.

Ken is survived by his wife, Janet (nee Wilson); his daughters, Kerri (Dan) LeJeune of Circle Pines, MN, Kim (Cassian) Lee of Eden Prairie, MN, Kami Hyatt of Circle Pines, MN, and son, Kirk (Jennifer) Hyatt of Cumberland, WI; grandchildren Emilie and Kennan LeJeune, Ania and Siri Hyatt, Kalina and Carissa Lee; and sisters, Bernice (Matt) Palkki and Bonnie (Herb, deceased) Winn. He is preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Helen (Phil) Palkki.

Pastor Emory Johnson will officate funeral services for Ken: 2:30 PM; Sunday (2/4/18) at New Hope Lutheran Church in Grantsburg, WI with a lunch to follow.  A visitation will be held from 6:00 - 8:00 PM Saturday (2/3/18) at Swanson Funeral Chapel, Pine City, MN and also from 1:00 - 2:30 PM on Sunday at the church.  Burial will take place during a private family ceremony at Riverside Cemetery, Grantsburg, WI.  

All are welcome to attend and celebrate Ken's life. Flowers may be arranged through Swanson Funeral Chapel.  Or in lieu of flowers, please send donations to Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation. Prayers, condolences, and memories can be shared at the funeral homepage and media files can be uploaded to the Ken Hyatt Tribute Dropbox.

The family would like to thank the staff at Abbott Northwestern Cardiac ICU for their world-class care every step of the way.

Funeral arrangements provided by Swanson Funeral Chapel.