Kenneth Franklin Williams Sr.

“A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.” -- Maya Angelou

On July 3, 1945, Kenneth Franklin Williams, Sr., was born to Gladys Noreen Foster and Eugene Edward Williams, Sr. at Morton F. Plant Hospital in Clearwater, Florida. He later relocated to Detroit, Michigan with his mother and brother, Eugene Edward Williams, Jr., where he attended and eventually graduated from Northwestern High School.

After graduating from high school, Kenneth pursued a Bachelor of Science in Biology at Howard University in Washington, D.C. In 1968, he was drafted into the United States Army and completed his infantry school training at Fort Benning, Georgia in March of 1969. While at Fort Benning, he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Marksmanship Qualification Badge as a Sharpshooter (Rifle M-16). He later served a tour of duty as a Second Lieutenant in the Vietnam War where he was a member of the 1st Calvary Division and the 82 Airborne.

Upon his return from Vietnam, Kenneth completed his degree and graduated from Howard University in 1971. He continued his career in the military where he was eventually promoted to Captain and became the first Race Relations Officer named to his post at Fort Belvoir (Virginia). During this time, Kenneth served on a Department of Defense Task Force that traveled to military bases in Europe as well as to the Navy carrier John F. Kennedy. In that role, he was responsible for assessing the degree of racial and/or ethnic discrimination in the military and assisted in the preparation of a report for the Secretary of Defense. Kenneth met his lovely wife Maria Ramirez while he was stationed at Fort Belvoir and they were united in holy matrimony on August 31, 1973, in Alexandria, Virginia. It was a wonderful marriage that endured for 50 years. The couple later relocated to Detroit, Michigan after he was honorably discharged from the Army. While in Detroit, the couple was blessed with three children, Kenneth Jr., Brian, and Renee.

Kenneth had a very successful career as a Human Resources Executive which spanned over 30 years for Fortune 500 companies, where he served as a Director or Vice President in the banking, manufacturing, healthcare, insurance, building materials, and technology industries. His positions included serving as Vice-President of Comerica Bank (Manufacturers National Bank of Detroit); Director of Staffing, HRIS and Employee Relations, Henry Ford Health System; Senior Vice-President, Key Bank; Director of Global Staffing, Owens Corning; and Vice-President of Global Staffing, NCR Corporation. Kenneth also served two years as a consultant to Genentech, a biotech company located in San Francisco, California before launching his own consulting practice KFWilliams Group, Ltd.

Following his retirement, Kenneth spent most of his spare time with his family. He enjoyed a good barbecue, watching University of Michigan football games, listening to jazz and Motown classics, traveling, and researching and reconstructing his family’s heritage and family tree.

Kenneth was a loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He lived a full and vibrant life. On the afternoon of June 27, 2024, God called his servant, Kenneth home to heaven. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4.

Kenneth was predeceased by his parents, Gladys F. Williams and Eugene Edward Williams, Sr., his brother Eugene Edward Williams, Jr., his uncle, Thomas E. Foster, and nephew Eugene Edward Williams III. Left to cherish his memory are a devoted wife, Maria R. Williams; sons, Kenneth F. Williams, Jr., and Brian A. Williams (wife Rebekah); daughter, Renee M. Williams; grandchildren, Devon M. Williams, Kendall A. Williams, Destinee R. Williams, Jayden A. Williams, Kennedi S. Williams, and Makenna R. Williams; nieces, Courtney Hampton, Ashley Premont, Maya Williams, and Madison Williams; nephew, Cedric Edwards, best friend Richard Hart and a host of other sorrowing relatives and friends.