MANNING, Kim

With deep sorrow we announce the death of Kim Manning of Canmore, Alberta. She leaves her husband, Tim Koger; their beloved goddaughter, Anna Minarik; family and many friends.

With deep sorrow we announce the death of Kim Manning of Canmore, Alberta. She leaves her husband, Tim Koger; their beloved goddaughter, Anna Minarik; family and many friends. Kim’s sense of adventure began with her arrival on December 8, 1952, during the last great London fog—so dense that her father walked in front of the taxi carrying her mother to guide them safely to the hospital.

Raised in East Sussex, where ski holidays in the Alps, sailing, riding, farm chores and exploring the countryside were part of everyday life, Kim became a nimble athlete with an adventurous spirit. Education at The Royal Tunbridge Wells County Grammar School for Girls further developed Kim into an inquisitive and self-confident young woman ready to take on anything she set her mind to. Drawn to the outdoors, Kim became a geologist and was among the first women to work on offshore rigs in the North Sea.

In her early twenties she discovered a passion for rock climbing. The sport engaged her in body, mind and spirit, and connected her with like-minded and enduring friends. Seeking greater opportunity and freedom from the UK’s rigid class system and gender norms, Kim immigrated to Calgary, Alberta.

She soon found work, bought an MGB sports car, and joined the Calgary Mountain Club. In her mid-20s, Kim began working in the emerging industrial rope access industry. The highly innovative and technical field better suited her skills and aptitude.

By 30 years of age, she was the owner of her own successful company based in Bend, Oregon. Kim was respected by her clients for her business acumen and revered by her employees as a strong leader and fierce protector of their well-being. In 1989, Kim met the love of her life, Tim Koger, while working as a ski instructor at Mount Bachelor, Oregon.

They married in 1994 and, in 2000, settled permanently in Canmore, Alberta, where they found a deep sense of belonging among cherished friends. Their love expanded when Kim, Tim and their goddaughter, Anna Minerik, chose one another as family. Anna said they showed her “what it looked like for two people to move through the world together, with such pure, healthy love,” and that their belief in her gave her the strength to become her best self.

Many who knew Kim would say the same. Epicurean, equestrian, sailor, climber, scuba diver, artist, reader, aesthete, shopper, entrepreneur, cyclist and skier, spiritual seeker—Kim pursued all she did wholeheartedly. In 2019, Kim was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer.

She met this challenge with forthrightness and openness. She and Tim became ever more appreciative of their community of friends and for the love and moments of joy to be found in each day. Diminished but not defeated, Kim sought the outdoors and the activities they loved up until the last few weeks of her life.

In Anna’s words, “Kim is a part of all of us now, and we must carry her spirit forward in our adventures and our interactions with others, so even those who did not know her can feel her spirit.” We will miss you, dear one. We are better humans for knowing you.

Kim wished to be remembered by friends gathered around the dinner table and in the great outdoors doing the things they love. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Canmore Hospital Foundation. Arrangements entrusted to Bow Valley Funeral Service.

Condolences and memories may be left for the family at www.bowvalleyfuneral.ca.