May 12, 1951 – December 26, 2022
Kenneth Joel Stenmark (Stenny) of Park City, Utah left this earth on
December 26, 2022, after a courageous 3-year battle with Alzheimer’s
Disease at the early age of 71. Stenny took his last breath with his
loving wife, Carly by his side and skied into heavenly bliss.
Stenny was born on May 12, 1951, in Minneapolis, MN. to parents, Joel
Per Stenmark and Helene Anna Otterdahl, both deceased.
He was also proceeded in death by two older sisters, Marilyn Stenmark
Jahr and Ardia Stenmark Schoen.
After completing his undergraduate degree, he enrolled in law school at
The University of Utah and was teaching skiing at Alta Ski Resort until
he got a lesson with Deke Richards, a music producer from Motown
Music, who listened to his music and liked what he heard. Stenny
decided to follow his passion and never looked back. It was goodbye
law school, hello L. A. Stenny held degrees and certificates in Psychology, conflict resolution,accountability training, communications, was a licensed mediator and a member of Mensa International.
He used his incredible communication skills (and humor) in various jobs, including training Park City Municipal staff, and mediation for juveniles in Third District Court. Stenny was a professional golf instructor at Park City Municipal Golf Course for over 30 years. He was also a professional ski instructor and a
Ski School Supervisor for Park City Mountain Resort. In between seasons, Stenny did what he loved most, playing his guitar,singing and writing songs. In just a matter of hours, he could write lyrics, compose the music and sing the new song to Carly when shearrived home.
Stenny had three top 10 singles on the Billboard Top 100 charts during
the late 70’s and early 80’s. He was with the Motown label early in his
career; up until he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s on June 15, 2020,
he was with Warner Chappell Music.
Stenny is survived by his wife, Carly Bennett Stenmark (Bennett) of Park
City, Utah, his previous spouse, Retta Jane Smith, and son McLane
Kenneth Stenmark, Holladay, Utah. Carly’s four children., Sean Byrne, Chantele Kelsch (Jay), Rick Bennett (April), Megan Garcia (Mario), fourteen grandchildren and ten great grandchildren, were a big part of his life for 24 years and they all loved him dearly.
Thanks to the staff of Alta Ridge Memory Care, Stenny’s home for the
past 15 months for caring and loving this sweet man and to Jewish
Family Services for helping Carly through this difficult time.
A celebration of life will be held on Tuesday January 10, 2023, at 4 p.m.
at a private residence located at 5820 Mountain Ranch Drive, Park City,
Utah. Guests are asked to park at Trailside Elementary School or the Trailside
LDS church. Two shuttles will be offered for those not wanting to walk
the short distance.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s
Association Utah Chapter in Stenny’s memory. 112894 So. Pony Express
Road, Suite 300 Draper, Utah.