Earl Kersten

Earl William Kersten Jr.

February 13, 1923

September 5, 2013

Earl William "Bill" Kersten Jr. died in Sparks, Nevada on September 5, 2013. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri on February 13, 1923. Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Betty; parents, Earl and Ione; brother, Robert; sister, Patricia Campbell and daughter, Laura Kersten King.

He was greatly loved by his son, William (Phyllis Beverly), daughter, Ann Ebner (Greg), granddaughters, Rosemary and Charlotte Ebner, all of Sparks; his son-in-law, Guy King of Chico, California and his granddaughter, Mary King of Seattle, Washington. He had several nieces and nephews who were especially fond of him including Carl Campbell, Meg Owen and Patty Kersten.

Bill grew up in St. Louis. As a kid he loved baseball and was a card carrying member of the St. Louis Cardinals Knothole Gang, youngsters who peered through holes in fences to watch their favorite team play. He also enjoyed reading, nature studies, and called St. Louis' Forest Park his first playground.

Bill joined the U.S. Navy in 1943. He served on a Landing Craft Infantry ship and participated in the invasions of the Philippines and Okinawa. He later said that his service in the Pacific Islands first sparked his interest in geography.

Right before he shipped out for the Navy, Bill had a date with Betty Campbell. They corresponded throughout his service and married on March 27, 1948. They had three children and enjoyed 49 years of marriage before her death in 1997.

Bill completed his Bachelor's Degree with honors from Washington University, and received his Master's and PhD in Geography from University of Nebraska. In 1951, Bill accepted a position in the geography department at University of Nevada, Reno. He taught in the Mackay School of Mines and studied the physical and economic geography of Nevada. He was very modest about his accomplishments but several of his articles were published in the prestigious journal, Annals of the Association of American Geographers. Under his leadership, the geography department expanded and flourished. Bill retired in 1987.

Bill enjoyed traveling, reading (especially scholarly history and eccentric mysteries), watching movies (of which he had a nearly encyclopedic knowledge of obscure character actors) gardening, bird watching and writing on his favorite subject, geography. Only a few months before his death he was working on a book-length geographical study of Nevada. An avid sports fan, he rarely missed a Giants, 49ers or Wolfpack game and could often be seen shivering in the stands on an icy game day cheering on The Pack. Bill was known for his unending optimism and sometimes raucous sense of humor. Less known was Bill's generosity to many individuals and causes whether friends, family or charitable organizations. He loved and supported his granddaughters and rarely missed a soccer game, concert, recital or graduation. His presence made almost any event a party. He was quick to crack a joke, share a favorite movie or whip up a batch of his famous chiles rellenos. We are grateful to have had such a wonderful Dad, Father-in-law and Grandpa. He will be missed.

A celebration of his life will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 12 at Spanish Springs Presbyterian Church, 5245 Vista Blvd # F1 Sparks, NV 89436. To share a story or memory of Bill please visit online at http://earl.kersten.muchloved.com In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Bill's memory to the Lahontan Audubon Society P.O. Box 2304 Reno, NV 89505, or Friends of Washoe County Library at www.washoelibraryfriends.org/donations/