Kenneth Dee Holmgren

Ken Holmgren was an inspiration with the brilliance and determination he applied to his many pursuits and endeavors. He was a shining example of improvement of oneself, their surroundings, their community, and the future of their family.

Born on February 23, 1930, he passed away at age 94 on September 5, 2024. He married his high school sweetheart, Norine Rasmussen, in 1949 and had 70 years together until her passing in 2019. They raised three daughters: Debbie (Roger) Furse, Patti Holmgren, and Mary (Hank) Baker. The family has now grown to include 5 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren.

Success did not diminish his humility, discretion, diligence, and respect toward all he encountered regardless of their station in life. Ken wrote a memoir entitled Episodes: Ancestors, Cowboys and Airbags that chronicled his family and business history. It detailed the development within Northern Utah’s largely agrarian culture of large-scale industry in rocket engines, ariel military flares and automotive airbag restraints. As time from his work allowed, he was either ascending mountain peaks with his wife and friends, running marathons, riding in week-long Colorado biking events, perfecting his golf game, or continually educating himself.

Ken went to work at Thiokol Chemical in 1957 as an operator and became manager of Thiokol’s new illumination flare business which led to a major role in the evolution of airbags for automobiles at Thiokol and eventually Morton International. He retired in 1995 as President of Automotive Safety Products for Morton International which had grown to over 5,000 employees working in Ogden, Brigham City and Promontory, Utah, as well as Detroit, Germany, and Japan with annual sales of over one billion dollars. Ken was also a Vice President of Morton International as well as on the board of several Morton airbag joint ventures. Two years after Ken retired the airbag business was acquired by Autoliv, a Swedish Company, who continues to expand the business.

Along the way Ken trained nearly daily for marathons along the open country roads near his home as well as the unfamiliar city streets of Europe and Asia when traveling for work. As a lifelong musician, he evolved from his early days playing piano in jazz bands to playing only when encouraged at family gatherings but, always, he immersed himself in a large collection of music from many genres. He read voraciously, and was skillfully conversant on topics from world affairs, science, business, history, literature, and modern culture.

He earned the confidence of family, friends, employees, and corporate contacts alike by being honest when he didn’t know something and having an unwavering ability to approach problems with rationality, ingenuity, and even-handed fairness. Few may pass through life creating such a lasting impact and legacy. We salute his accomplishments, share our gratitude for his life and his example and tenderly take him to his rest with deepest respect and enduring love.

We wish to thank the many physicians, nurses and medical staff who provided Ken’s care as well as Intermountain Hospice for their compassion and guidance. A reception in celebration of his life will be held at Ogden Golf and Country Club from 2-4 pm on Saturday, Sept 21.