The Reverend Dr. William W. Kenner, 61, of Marysville died Thursday, December 25, 2025, after living each day with love, hope, faith, and joy. His longtime struggle with MS and other medical challenges is finally over.
Bill was born June 30, 1964, to the late George Ferris and Margaret Marie (Myles) Kenner of Port Huron. He was their baby boy and the 16th of 17 children. His family were charter members of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Port Huron. His great-grandparents, John and Katherine Seltzer, immigrated from Kind, Russia, on the Volga River to the Volga Flats in Port Huron, where they established and built the original church and altar.
Bill’s philosophy of life was “To thine own self be true” (William Shakespeare) and “Knowledge is power” (Socrates). His educational nickname was Socrates, and his favorite question was “Why?”
He loved researching culture and traveled extensively, including Canada, Britain, Ireland, India, China, Europe, Australia, South America, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Russia. In Michigan, Bill lived, worked, and loved Port Huron, Alpena, Traverse City, L’Anse, Lansing, Holland, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Flint, Ann Arbor, and Marysville.
Bill was a lifelong learner whose studies focused on the brain and its biology and function in education, learning, and healing. He was educated in philosophy, world religions, and communications. His specialties included human communication and personality, medical hypnosis, American and world literature, Shakespeare, children’s literature, theatre, and the visual arts. He was a K–12 certified teacher; adjunct college professor; lecturer; and faculty member in human communications, education, theatre, psychology, student development, computer operations, television and radio production, business communications, international communication, mass media/journalism, medical hypnosis, metaphysics, and religion. His PhD (ABD) focused on mindfulness, metacognition, and learning.
Bill practiced giving, loving, and daily mindfulness. He loved giving gifts and surprises. He cherished the story and truth of Jesus Christ and once began schooling to become a priest. In seminary, he studied Buddha, Confucius, and multicultural practices of daily mindfulness. He loved goodness, kindness, and daily prayer and later became ordained through the Universal Life Seminary in California.
Bill’s first love was music. He sang in the fifth-grade choir at Woodrow Wilson Elementary under Ms. Beth Davis and was introduced to musical theatre at Washington Intermediate School under Mr. Jim Brown, performing in So This Is Paris and Pistol Packing Sal. Later, he portrayed “Barney the Baker” for French’s Bakery and became an assistant baker and manager at age 18.
A graduate of Port Huron High School, Class of 1982, Bill was active in all choirs and was the class winner of the school’s prestigious “Bass Clef” Award in vocal music. In his senior year, he co-authored the original musical RED with his teacher, mentor, and lifelong friend, the late Marcia Hull Culver. He ranked seventh in his class academically and, in 1988, was named “Outstanding Young Man in America” for community service and academic honors.
For more than 35 years, Bill was a professional Santa Claus for malls, private parties, and nonprofit Christmas celebrations. Even his family saw Santa every year. He later performed weddings and services at Christmas in his Santa suit. Saint Nicholas was a profound presence throughout his life, and Christmas was celebrated year-round in his home.
Bill began his undergraduate studies at St. Clair County Community College, where he studied computer science, accounting, journalism, cooking, vocal music, piano, radio production, photography, theatre, and public speaking. He earned three associate degrees and an occupational certificate in computer operations. While at SC4, he received the Guido and Elizabeth Binda Scholarship in the Arts and the student government scholarship for his work as features editor and editor-in-chief of the nationally awarded SC4 Erie Square Gazette. He studied piano and vocal performance for seven years with Margaret Stone and Charles Stevens.
While attending SC4, Bill worked in numerous departments, including records and admissions, recruiting, library services, security, catering, theatre management, and faculty. He completed his undergraduate internship as a career and counseling job specialist. He also directed PHHS Drama Club productions of Fiddler on the Roof, The Mousetrap, and Annie with lifelong friends MaryAnn and Thom Foxlee.
From 1985 to 1995, Bill completed apprenticeships and became a contracted artistic staff member at Cherry County Playhouse in Traverse City and later in Muskegon. In 1984, he co-created the SC4 touring children’s theatre program with Ms. Virginia Wheelahan, a program that remains successful today. He also completed a summer internship in the costume department at Stratford Theatre in Ontario.
Bill earned his bachelor’s degree from Oakland University in 1989 with departmental and academic honors in human communications and theatre. He completed internships in stage management, lighting, and sound design at Meadow Brook Theatre and served as a tour guide at Meadow Brook Estate. That same year, he accepted his first professional position as artistic and technical director of Thunder Bay Theatre in Alpena, Michigan, and later became marketing and publicity director for BoarsHead Michigan Public Theatre in Lansing.
His graduate studies included television and radio production, teacher education, educational leadership, and career planning and counseling at Aquinas College, Western Michigan University, and Ferris State University. He became a Michigan-certified career specialist and certification officer with the Michigan Department of Education.
Bill served as performing arts center facilitator for West Ottawa Public Schools, where he helped design and implement a state-of-the-art K–12 performing arts center, television production complex, and video curriculum. He created a 24/7 educational access television station and oversaw more than 300 annual productions. He received the Excellence in Partnership Award with student Kevin Kammeraad for the programs Castles and Kids Healing Kids.
His post-graduate studies included transpersonal psychology, medical hypnotherapy, business communications, online learning, metaphysics, and divinity through the Michigan School of Humanistic Psychology, the University of Michigan, Universal Life Seminary, and Northcentral University.
Bill was an author, co-author, editor, and contributor to numerous textbooks with Pearson, Sage, Insight Publishing, and McGraw-Hill. He was a professional keynote lecturer for five years on his theory, “Quantum Communications: Teaching the Subconscious,” presenting globally to Fortune 500 companies, schools, colleges, and clinical agencies. He participated in the Harvard Learning and the Brain think tank and the Creativity and Madness seminars in Maui.
As a certified medical hypnotherapist, Bill served individuals and care groups for 20 years and enjoyed working as a stage hypnotist at high school senior night events. He was deeply involved in theatre, music, and forensics and directed, acted, designed, and built for more than 300 professional, educational, and community productions.
Bill retired medically from teaching in 2012 from the University of Michigan. In 2009, he received the SC4 Del James Blessenger Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Bill is survived by his siblings Kathy (Larry) Eagle, Patricia (Darryl) Smith, Gayle Kenner, Patrick L.D. Kenner, Debra Kenner, Dan Lambert, Linda Kenner, and Dorothy “Susie” Kenner. He was loved by many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and great-great-nieces and nephews. He was also grateful for his many friends and “adopted” family, whose lives he touched as a teacher, colleague, Reverend, and friend. His kindness and empathy were overflowing.
He was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, numerous brothers and sisters, and his best friend and longtime partner, Sandy Timmer Plakke, who passed in 2020.
A funeral service will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, in the Williamsburg Chapel at Pollock-Randall Funeral Home, which is home to the original altar from St. Paul Lutheran Church. Visitation will begin at 2:00 p.m. the same day. The Reverend Brandon Hunt will officiate.
Burial will be in Caswell Cemetery, Kimball, Michigan.
Memorials may be made to the family. To send condolences, visit pollockrandall.com.
