Frank Sheridan Kennett III

Frank Sheridan Kennett III peacefully passed at his home on October 28th, 2025 at the age of 81. Born in Asheville, NC in 1944 to Frank Sheridan Kennett Jr. and Suzanne (Fitch) Kennett, Frank graduated from Asheville High School in 1961, then known as Lee H. Edwards High School.
Upon graduation, Frank joined the US Navy, and served from 1962 - 1972. He attended Western Carolina University, graduating in 1968, and earned his Masters degree from Tulane University in New Orleans. There he met and married his wife Janet in 1971 underneath an oak tree in City Park.
They moved to Menomonie, WI in 1973, where he worked as a union construction laborer and silversmith, eventually joining the staff of UW-Stout in the Social Sciences department. A lover of history, Frank served as the curator of the Dunn County Historical Society, writing a weekly newspaper column in the Dunn County News focusing on museum artifacts and local history.
He was especially knowledgeable about Native American history, and often went hunting for burial mounds that scatter the western Wisconsin landscape. He also loved traveling and experiencing different cultures.
A true lover of the outdoors, Frank was an avid camper and canoeist from a young age. He summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2001,and skydived over 10 times. He loved mushroom hunting, scuba diving, Scotch whiskey, and his family. He was an advocate and activist for civil rights, human rights, and workers' rights.
He is survived by his wife Janet Polansky, children Thomas Kennett (Erin McComb) and Amy Polansky (Jim Cooke), as well as sister Sharon (Kennett) Heim and brother-in-law Doug Heim. He also leaves two beloved granddaughters, Kaitlin and Aven Kennett.
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