It’s with a very heavy heart that I share the news of my father Ken Evason’s passing. He died last week, just a few days shy of June 12th, which would have been his 77th birthday. He was on his farm in Canada, surrounded by the land and the animals he loved.

My dad (pictured above with his beloved horse Buddy and part of his cattle herd) was elemental in my life. Losing him feels a bit like losing the sun or the rain. It’s unnatural and disorienting. Nothing feels quite “right” since he’s been gone. I’m not sure it ever will.

However, in the face of all this grief, the emotion I am trying to hold onto the most is gratitude. Immense and ever-lasting gratitude that I was so incredibly lucky to have him as my Dad. He did so much for me in my lifetime that it’s hard to select just one story to share, but here’s the one I would like all of you – my Windermere family and friends – to hear.

It was January 2010. I was working as a Senior Manager at Deloitte. My team and I were in the thick of the year-end audit of M&I Bank, sitting at a cramped conference room table on the 6th floor. It was mid-morning and my cell phone rang. I could see it was my Dad so I discretely left the room and went into the photo copy/duplication room by the elevator bank. In a hushed tone I took the call and said “Hi Dad” to which he responded – “Hi Pammy. I just quit my job. It’s your turn”

Up until this point, we’d had countless discussions about my professional future. While I enjoyed my job and was well-suited for the role, the next step of public accounting partnership felt horrifying rather than gratifying. My soul was misaligned with my career and I didn’t know what adjustment to make. How could I turn my back on 10+ years of hard work and start over? Who was I without my title and career?

My dad had made a few suggestions and had briefly floated the idea of starting a wealth advisory firm together (he was co-owner of another firm at the time and was having his own internal struggles but remained exceptionally passionate about the industry). These were all discussions and brainstorming sessions from my point of view – not definitive plans. To say I was taken aback by his announcement on that January morning sixteen years ago is an understatement!

In that moment, standing alone in that room at M&I Bank, I knew I would remember that discussion – and my response – for my entire life. I could either stay where I was or go with my dad. And without hesitation, I responded “ok.” I did right by my teammates , superiors, and clients at Deloitte, staying for another four months to finish out the audit cycle/busy season. On April 10, 2010, my Dad and I joined forces and started Windermere.

Building a business is no easy feat, nor is working with your family. It was a challenging and humbling journey and there were countless moments where I questioned my decision. I’m sure my Dad did as well. However, no matter what, the opportunity I had been given was never lost on me and I was determined to make the most of it.

Around 2013, my Dad came to me and said he was going to purchase farmland outside his hometown in Manitoba. I was shocked and a bit concerned. Windermere was his brainchild. He was the seasoned veteran and I was a 34 year old, skilled in investing but still learning the business side of things. He calmly explained to me that he would always support me and do all he could to build Windermere from afar but that he’d “already climbed this mountain” (meaning building a wealth management firm) and that he needed to learn something new. At the age of 64, he bravely embarked on a completely new adventure, learning how to breed cattle, raise a horse, plant and harvest crops, drive a tractor, bail hay, care for cats, and live a freer and simpler life on land he loved.

He moved on to his next mountain and I kept climbing mine so to speak, building the Windermere we started together into the Windermere I am so incredibly proud of today. A few years ago, I asked him if he was at all worried when he left about what would become of Windermere under my leadership. And he simply replied, “No. I knew you would be good at this business and I knew you could do it”

Hopefully if you are reading this, you know from firsthand experience how much I love my profession, how much I care for my clients, and how much pride I take in Windermere, the firm I built alongside my Dad.

Without him, there would be no Windermere

Without him, I wouldn’t have a career I love

Without him, I wouldn’t have a carefully curated group of clients that mean the absolute world to me

Without him, I wouldn’t have a network of wonderful people who have supported me all along my journey

Without him, I wouldn’t have a vocation that allows me to leave the world better than I found it

Without him, I wouldn’t have a clear purpose anchoring me in this time of immense anguish and grief

Without him, I wouldn’t have my beautiful, meaningful, and fulfilling life

I now find myself without him, my dear Dad, here on earth, but my goodness, look at all he gave to me while he was here. Look at all he continues to give to me. The gratitude I feel takes my breath away.

Caring for Windermere and our clients will be my everlasting gift to my Dad. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Godspeed Dad. Your unabashed belief in me transformed my life. What a blessing. What a gift. What a legacy. What a Dad.

Onward we go,