Kenny Bidlake Funeral

Welcome and Opening Prayer

I want to welcome everyone today as we are here to honor Kenny’s life and remember who he was and why so many loved him so much!

I’d like to open with a word of prayer.

Heavenly Father, We come to you today on the heals of this unbelievable tragedy with hearts full of grief and sadness. Those that knew him already miss him so much and it hurts so much that he’s gone.

Father, my prayer today is that you will comfort our hearts as we grieve. Lord, you are known as the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction. Even as you give us your comfort you have also empowered us to comfort others with the comfort you have given us. Thank you Father for being so faithful.

Bless this time that we have here this day,

In Jesus name, Amen.

Read Obituary

Kenneth Steven Bidlake, 20, of Missoula, Montana, passed away on December 1st, 2024, as the result of a motor vehicle accident. Most called him Kenny, a few called him Bubba, all of us called him friend.

Kenny was born April 14th, 2004 in Missoula, Montana to Mike and Kristi (Thompson) Bidlake. He joined his older sister Kami and completed his family of four.

Kenny loved to live life. He lived it to the fullest every time he walked out the door. He did everything with a mischievous grin, twinkle in his eye and that little giggle. He loved his family. He loved his friends who became family. He loved them hard. Kenny loved going fast. It didn’t matter if it was on a 4-wheeler, dirt bike, side-by-side, or a vehicle. He loved hunting, fishing and music. Rarely could he ever sit still. Most recently, his light was his niece, Hazel, who is shown in the videos and pictures he took with her.

Kenny is survived by his parents, Mike and Kristi Bidlake. His sister Kami Bidlake, her fiancé Cole Prater and their beautiful daughter Hazel. His paternal grandparents, Steve and Betty Bidlake, his uncle and aunt Brian and Erika Bidlake, his cousins Jack Bidlake and Quinn Pruitt. His great-grandmother Myrel Skinner. His cousin Shana Seubert and her family. His uncle Jeff Thompson and cousins Carter Thompson, and his family, and Carley Thompson, and her family. His special family Harvey Blake, Trent Daigle, and Gabi Casey. He is survived by all of his friends. Please remember him with love and laughter.

Kenny was preceded in death by too many, including his maternal grandparents Ken and Betty Thompson, his aunt Kendra Gould and several others including his special friends Braden and Rob. His welcoming party was far too big.

Kenny, you will be missed far more than you can imagine. We Love you.

Words from Peter

My time meeting Kenny unfortunately was in his room at St. Pats in the ICU. I had just met Mike, Kristi, Kami and Cole. I had been on my way to the hospital anyway to visit with a friend who was about have surgery when I received a call about Kenny. I was asked to pray with the family and over Kenny. The family had accepted the outcome for the most part already and so in my prayer I asked Jesus to comfort us as we get ready to say goodbye to Kenny, only I didn’t say the name Kenny, I said, “as we get ready to say goodbye to Mike”. Not a good way to meet everyone and make good first impressions by using the wrong name. The reason I tell this story is so I can beat Mike to the punch. It’s been at least one story that made people laugh in these hard times.

I remember Cole looking at me with a smile on his face saying, “You had one job to do”. And that’s how I met the family. Since then it’s been a joy getting to know Mike, Kristi, and Kami, and in his absence, Kenny.

Kenny, as stated in his obituary, Loved people hard!

He would do anything for anyone!

You knew that if he loved you that meant he picked on you!

He was known to always take in people who for whatever reason, didn’t have a place to go or a family that they could run to, and he brought them into his home, his family.

Kenny loved the ranch, running big equipment, he loved building things. He loved living big and driving fast.

I heard so many stories about Kenny, and you are going to have a time today to share those, but one of my favorite stories showed Kenny’s determination!

As the story goes, he loved going fishing with his grand parents Steve and Betty, in Canada. Well one year I guess he’d not been a “good boy” and he was told that if he didn’t straiten up he wouldn’t be able to go fishing with his grandparents. What did Kenny do? He snuck inside their RV and refused to get out in order to not be left behind on their fishing trip! He slept in that RV for two nights!

Another time his parents got him his own little snow mobile and he and his dad went up riding one day. I guess he enjoyed it so much that once Mike got up off of his sled to take a break, Kenny jumped on Mike sled and took off!

Kenny loved his niece Hazel. He was so proud to be her uncle! He loved holding her and she sure loves her uncle ninny.

Message

It’s important to remember. It’s important to not let Kenny’s life be forgotten. That’s part of why we are hear today.

I appreciate the family giving me the opportunity to say a few words of encouragement as we honor and celebrate Kenny. In your program you’ll notice that the family has referenced a few verses from the Bible.

John 14:1–3 ESV

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

In this passage, Jesus is talking to his disciples, or another way to look at it would be students. They had given up their lives to follow Jesus after he revealed to them that He was and is, what the Jews called the Messiah, the anointed one! Jesus spent his life performing miracles, healing the sick and lame, but more importantly, He came to establish His Father’s kingdom.

In these verses he’s having to tell everyone “let not your hearts e troubled” because He was going away. He had one last job to do and then He was going back to heaven. That last job was to die on a cross, a form of torture and death. He was doing this willingly and without being forced. He did it because he loves us and it took His blood being shed in order to allow our sins to be forgiven and offer us the gift of eternal life.

He went on to invite His disciples to “Believe in God; believe also in me” He said this because he himself was God in the flesh. What comes after that statement is the reason why we don’t have to let our hearts be troubled. He wants us to believe in Him. Not just in His existence, but that word believe means to place all our trust in Him. Place all your faith in who He is and trust Him not only with your life but also with your eternity.

Jesus goes on to say, that he is going to prepare a dwelling place for us in heaven and one day he is going to return to take us to be with him. This is the hope of the believer. It’s not that we get everything we want in life. It’s that we, if we truly believe and have faith in Jesus, we will get to spend eternity with Him.

In this same chapter John 14, Jesus makes the clarifying statement in verse 6.

John 14:6 ESV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus came to make a way for us to have this barrier of our sin to be dealt with. He is the way, the truth, and the life. And he pleads for us to believe in Him. It is through faith in Jesus that we can even achieve peace, especially in times like this. Jesus offers peace to all who would trust in Him.

John 14:27 ESV

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

This peace comes through a relationship with Jesus. It’s not about religion, it’s about a personal God who came down to this earth in human form, died on a cross in order that we could come to Him, even before we get our lives cleaned up, and trust Him for salvation.

John 16:33 ESV

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Psalm 4:8 ESV

8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Letters from Kristi and Kami

Open Mic Time

For anyone who wanted to share a story of remembrance or to share how much Kenny meant to you, there is another opportunity for you to write out that memory and place it in this Jar.

Slideshow

We will also have a time at the reception for sharing as well. Thank you for coming. Let’s close in prayer.

Closing Prayer

Father, I pray that as we come to this place to mourn Kenny’s death, as we grieve his loss and his absence in our lives, that we would truly look for peace in the only place it can be found and that’s in you! Father, I pray that even as we leave here today, you will pursue the hearts of everyone here and that they would turn to you for peace. Bless the rest of our time here today as we continue to remember and honor Kenny!

In Jesus name, Amen!