In Memory of Ken: Forever Part of the PasstoPass Family
In Memory of Ken (1953-2025)
Ken was instrumental in laying the foundation for PasstoPass and helping turn an idea into the community it is today.
In Fall 2015, Ken was the first person with Parkinson’s to contact Bill Meyer about forming a backpacking group. He went on to participate as the first Parkinson’s hiker on our inaugural trip in August 2016. Over the years, Ken continued to recruit hikers in the greaterSeattle area through the exercise and support groups in which he was actively involved.
PasstoPass would not exist without the website Ken created. He became our first webmaster, building and maintaining the site and filling it with many of the beautiful photographs he took on PasstoPass adventures. When PasstoPass incorporated as a nonprofit in 2017, Ken served as our first president of the Board of Directors.
Ken also helped bring recognition to PasstoPass beyond our hiking community. He connected with the Michael J. Fox Foundation and helped create fundraisers in 2016 and 2017, and he was interviewed for their blog. He also submitted PasstoPass’s first poster to the World Parkinson Congress, which was accepted for presentation at the 2016 conference in Portland, Oregon.
Through his vision, energy, generosity, and willingness to serve, Ken helped create the foundation upon which PasstoPass continues to grow. His contributions—and the spirit he brought to every adventure—will remain an enduring part of our story.
This one is taken from Ken’s trip journal on the 2016 inaugural hike from Steven’s Pass to Snoqualmie.
Written on the trail.
“I remember what the King 5 reporter asked David. “Are you at peace with the disease?” David said it’s a war. I was thinking about that at 3:00 in the morning. I say no, I’m not at peace. People might think that the healthy attitude is to be at peace, to accept the situation you are in, but I say baloney. As soon as you are at peace and stop fighting, in marches PD to consume you and take away your way of life. When I got PD, I thought it was a downward spiral, but I soon found out that I can fight and make that spiral turn up. That is what I have been doing. That spiral has been turning up ever since. Aftercompleting this PasstoPass hike, it has turned up significantly.”
Definition of Success:
“Success to me is to push my limits and challenge myself physically and mentally so that I gain knowledge and excitement through my experiences and to share that knowledge and excitement with others.” Written way before Parkinson’s entered his life, but a definition he heldonto throughout his life and throughout PD.
STP 2018 – Ken’s Determination and Spirit
Ken had planned to join the 2018 hike, but after being diagnosed with lung cancer, his doctor advised him to avoid higher elevations. That changed his hiking plans, but it certainly didn’t slow Ken down.
That same year, Ken accomplished a dream he had held for years: completing the STP (Seattle to Portland) bike ride—207 miles—in a single day. He had already completed the ride several times over two days, both before and after his Parkinson’s diagnosis, including riding with an APDA (American Parkinson Disease Association) fundraising team. But Ken had a new personal goal: to complete the entire ride in one day.
Afterward, Ken wrote about the experience in a piece he titled “How I Won the STP.” He acknowledged that the STP is not technically a race, but for Ken, completing it in one day was a personal victory and a challenge he was determined to meet.
Ken ended his story with words that captured his approach to life:
“What will your dream be? My challenge was to ride the STP in one day at the age of 65 while carrying Parkinson’s on the ride. Dream of your challenge, plan it carefully, develop your backup plan, commit to your challenge, practice and train, and see it through.”
What makes this accomplishment even more remarkable is that Ken had just been diagnosed with lung cancer. After completing the ride in one day, he went on to undergo surgery and chemotherapy.
Ken’s determination, courage, and ability to keep reaching for his dreams—even when faced with tremendous challenges—are a lasting part of his legacy.
Thank You, Ken
Ken, thank you for believing in the dream of PasstoPass and for helping make it a reality.
You were there at the beginning—reaching out, bringing people together, creating our first website, sharing your photographs, serving as our first board president, and helping introduce PasstoPass to the wider Parkinson’s community. But your contribution was about so much more than the many things you did. You showed us what it means to keep moving forward, to dream big, and to take on challenges with courage and determination.
You inspired us not only with the miles you hiked and biked, but with the way you lived your life. Even when Parkinson’s and cancer presented new challenges, you continued to pursue your dreams and encouraged others to pursue theirs.
We are grateful for every adventure, every photograph, every idea, every mile, and every person you brought into the PasstoPass family.
Thank you, Ken, for helping create this community and for leaving it stronger, more connected, and more inspired than you found it. We will carry your spirit with us on every trail, every climb, and every adventure still to come.
We miss you, we remember you, and we will keep moving forward—just as you taught us.
PtP memorial blog https://passtopass.org/2025/11/22/ken-kisch-memorial/
The Kisch Family and particularly his wife, Linda, wishes to honor Ken’s involvement with PasstoPass. The PtP Board created the Ken Kisch Memorial Fund in June 2026 and Linda graciously donated funds to support Parkinson’s hikers participation in the great outdoors with fellow hikers.