William "Bill" Fountain Wayne KENDALL

“I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” --Jack London William “Bill” Fountain Wayne Kendall, 79, of St. Peters, MO. Beloved best friend and husband of Kateryn Thomas; cherished grandson, son; devoted brother, adoptive father, and stepfather; nephew, cousin, uncle, and very dear friend to many. Mr. Kendall spent his early childhood, during WWII, with his maternal grandparents, Fountain and Shirley (nee Payton) Dearner, in the small rural community of Cropper, Kentucky. While his father, Stanley, served in the Pacific, his mother, Anna, worked as a bottler in a nearby distillery. His grandfather had retired from the railway, but remained active as a locally esteemed carpenter and tobacco farmer, and his grandmother oversaw the management and operation of the school cafeteria and was an active member of Cropper Christian church. That formative experience would prove to indelibly shape Mr. Kendall for the rest of his life; his love of nature—flora, fauna, the land and water; a sense of loyalty to kin, neighbor, community and country; the will to continually learn and achieve; a dedication to ingenuity in problem solving; and an enduring sense of humor when facing life challenges. He spent his later youth traveling throughout the mid-eastern and southern United States (moving often a requirement of his father’s work as a superintendent on the expansion of U.S. natural gas pipelines) along with his mother and younger brothers, Terry and Dale, and graduated from Delhi High School, Delhi, Louisiana. Following the completion of his bachelor's degree in Business/Economics and ROTC training at Eastern Kentucky University, Mr. Kendall enlisted in advance of the draft into the United States Army, as Officer, Infantry & Artillery, Fort Knox, KY, stationed in Indianapolis, in December 1965. Finding that military life suited his tastes for ever-changing people, places, and duties, he would continue that career, ascending rank and revolving through reserve and active-duty assignments for twenty-three years, retiring in December 1988. Running concurrently with his military service, Mr. Kendall also enjoyed a nearly life-long career in the field of municipal and regional planning and development. In 1967, he began as a Planning Aide 1 for the State of Kentucky, in Bowling Green. Encouraged by both fellow staff and his superiors for his inherent talent for the work, he then pursued a master's in City Planning at University of Tennessee, Knoxville, earning certification from the American Institute of City Planning (AICP) in 1971. He completed planning aide 2 & 3 positions in both Corbin and Frankfort, Ky, and in 1973 joined the Lake Cumberland Area Development District, Jamestown, Ky, as Director of Regional Planning & Development, and followed that with a position in Russell Springs, KY as Director of Long-Range Planning/Recreation & Parks Development for ten counties. In 1981, concurrent with moves required by military reassignments, he enjoyed a position as the Long-Range Planning Director for Shreveport, LA, and then finished his professional administrative planning work in 1994 as Economic Development Director for Berkeley, MO. In 2004, having found early-retirement satisfying but not interestingly enough so, Mr. Kendall then completed training and certification to secure a position with the City of Hazelwood, MO as a Public Works Road Inspector, which he enjoyed until 2013, as well as serving his hometown for sixteen years on the City of St. Peters Board of Zoning Adjustment, until 2020. In addition to the work of his dual professions, Mr. Kendall throughout his life continually pursued knowledge and mastery within a plethora other disciplines and hobbies, for in his world there was no such thing as ‘spare time.’ High points only: he was an avid hunter, trapper, fisherman, frog gigger and ginseng digger, and a skilled shade-tree mechanic for any type of motored machine. He bought and worked a farm in Henry County, KY, as well as the historic ‘Farmers Woolen Mill’ for its preservation outside of Jamestown, KY. He studied and apprenticed to secure a pilot’s, and plumber’s, and waste water treatment plant operator’s licenses, and tried to learn and failed miserably at ballroom-dancing and banjo-playing. He practiced the zen in the delicate fine arts of sewing, woodworking, orchid gardening, and wine-making. He campaigned for political office thrice; twice for local alderman and once for MO State Representative. Kept himself mentally and physically fit with chess, bowling, golf, and daily long-distance cycling. And for the entire duration, he was an unavoidably-talented collector, restorer, upcycler and reseller of all things antique and vintage—and a consummate orator, storyteller, and conversationalist. He worked to make the world a better place wherever he was, and to ensure everyone he ever met learned something and harvested a benefit for having known him. He will be greatly missed by many. All are welcome to attend Mr. Kendall’s outdoor ‘memorial to a life well-lived,’ which will be held with military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, MO., Thursday, August 11, 2022, at 11:00am. Services provided by Alternative Funeral and Cremation Services, St. Peters, MO.

William "Bill" Fountain Wayne KENDALL

August 14, 1942 - July 12, 2022