William Kirk Kenton

WILLIAM KIRK KENTON

Born 8/20/1944

Passed 6/18/2024

William " Kirk" Kenton, was born to Lillian Grace Kenton and William C. Kenton on August 20, 1944. He passed away surrounded by his family on June 18, 2024. He is survived by Linda L. Kenton, wife of 59 years; daughter Kara Lee Long and her husband Robert Darrell Long; and daughter Kristy Lynn Kenton. He leaves three grandsons, Kolby Kenton Long and his wife, Yvette; Kameron Robert Long and Konnor William Long. Kirk was also blessed to have six great grandchildren: Emma, William (Liam), Logan, Jaxon, Ruby and Myla Long. He is also survived by his sister, Stephanie Chatman, as well as four nieces and three nephews.

Kirk grew up in the Independence area attending all four Rock Creek Elementary Schools. He graduated high school from Northeast in 1962. That same year he enlisted in the US Marines and served 3 years, being deployed to Vietnam in 1963. Upon his return home in 1965, he married Linda on October 23, 1965.

He immediately went to work in the family business, Kenton Brothers Locksmiths, aka Kenton Brothers Lock & Safe. Kirk always wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, which he did as a safe expert for over 33 years.

In 1969 he was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and served Jehovah faithfully until his death. Some of his greatest joys were studying the Bible with individuals who, like him, had unanswered questions. Kirk always had a listening ear and many were drawn to his generous heart. Most recently, he loved reading the Psalms, finding the new Study Bible to be the best tool yet for a deeper understanding.

Kirk spent many hours helping in the RBC (Regional Building Committee) and LDC (Local Design Construction), working on Kingdom Hall projects around the Midwest. Another highlight of his life was attending International Conventions of Jehovah's Witnesses in Paris, France in 2009 and then Frankfurt, Germany in 2014.

Throughout his life, Kirk loved the outdoors. His favorite hobbies were boating, water skiing, snow skiing, motorcycling, four wheeling, and scuba diving all over the world. For many years he was involved with the NCRS (National Corvette Restorers Society). He owned many Corvettes over his lifetime, but his favorite was the 1963 Corvette Stingray, which won many awards, including the Bloomington Gold. Corvette enthusiasts all over the US sought out his expert advice on restoration work.

Probably the most precious memories Kirk had were his many travels with Linda and their many friends. They loved cruising and traveling to Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti. Europe and frequent trips to the Turks and Caicos Islands. He was always ready for the next adventure, having one bag half packed in case something came up unexpected.

The memorial service will be invitation only.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to JW.org or The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.