Obituary of Kenneth Sagadore

It is with great sadness and love that the family of Kenneth Thomas Sagadore announce his passing on April 1st, 2026, in Ottawa Ontario, following a years-long and valiant battle with cancer.

Ken is survived by his two beloved daughters, Tamara and Lauren Sagadore, his son-in-law Kevin Xu, and grandsons, Ryan (5) and Cameron (2.5), who all reside in New York City. He was predeceased by his beloved mother Kay (who recently passed in 2025), as well as his father Leonard and sister Pamela.

Born in 1952, Ken grew up in the Ottawa area, attending Brookfield High School before going on to study at Queen’s University in Kingston. While Ken spent many years in the Kingston area following university, and ultimately spent his later adult life back in Ottawa, he was also fortunate enough to have numerous experiences living abroad. He spent time in Belgium as a child due to his father's work in the Canadian Air Force, and lived in both South Korea and England as an adult. He loved to live by the water whenever possible, with chapters on St Lawrence River near Gananoque, on the Ottawa River, and spent his later winters on the beaches of the Dominican Republic.

Sports were a lifelong passion for Ken. Basketball was his first love, playing first in high school and then on the men’s varsity team at Queens, where he also completed his degree in Physical Education. He enjoyed curling throughout his adult life, most recently as a member of the Ottawa Hunt Club. He loved golf and spent summers between teaching working as a starter at Manderlay Golf Club as well as the Ottawa Hunt. With a particular passion for cars, he loved traveling to marquee events in Daytona and Indianapolis. An enthusiastic follower of all sports, he knew the stats of seemingly every sport, particularly of the Canadian teams.

Ken had a varied professional life that reflected his versatility and love of working with people. His early professional chapters included operations in the restaurant industry (notably his own bar & restaurant Chevy’s), before working in insurance and financial planning with Sun Life, IG Wealth Management, and Roche Financial. Having gained his Bachelor’s in Education from Queens, ​in 2003, Ken decided to finally pursue teaching, teaching English abroad in South Korea before returning to his hometown of Ottawa as an ESL and high school teacher with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. After his retirement from education, in his later years he applied his deep knowledge of cars to automotive and RV sales with Honda and Primo Trailer.

Ken’s friends and family remember his energetic and captivating personality - he was a memorable presence in any room he was in. In the face of three separate stints with cancer for over a decade, he is also remembered for his bravery and unfailing optimism to overcome this disease.

A celebration of Ken’s life will be held on Sunday April 12th from 12-2pm, at Cole Funeral Services & Highland Park Cemetery, at 2037 McGee Side Rd, Carp, ON.