William Cooper Kerns

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear son, William Cooper Kerns on January 9, 2024 from natural causes, at the age of thirty. Born on January 27, 1993 at Humana (Overland Park Regional), Cooper filled our lives with love from the moment he came into the world.

Happy and social from a young age, Cooper was always making new friends and bringing joy to everyone he interacted with. He never lost the joy for life. Cooper’s good humor and generous spirit touched every person (and every animal) he met. Anyone who had to the privilege of calling Cooper his friend, knew just what that meant to him. His heart was larger than life itself and touch so many.

Cooper was passionate about so many things. He never did anything half-heartedly. His first passion was sports. If he wasn't playing organized sports, he loved nothing more than to be outside playing ball with his friends, bowling, playing golf or softball. He was an amazing athlete. Although, he played baseball through his sophomore year at Rockhurst High School, his main love was football. Cooper helped his team win the 6A State Championship his senior year at Rockhurst. That year he was honored with being named 1st Team All Metro, 1st Team All State and the inaugural All Simone Team.

After high school, various colleges and universities showed interest in Cooper. In the end, his love for the Jayhawks led him to pursue football at the University of Kansas his freshman year. Besides being a natural athlete, Cooper was very creative and artistic. He loved expressing himself through art. Never losing sight of what brought him joy, he continued to take ceramic and art classes through his years at The University of Kansas. At KU Cooper studied sports management and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree.

It wasn’t too long after graduation, he found a successful career as an Assistant Manager at Sherman Williams paint store. An opportunity that would allow him to use creative skills, his education in management and a chance to work with people every day, which he loved. He truly enjoyed his time there and valued all the people he worked with.

The Kerns family wishes to thank all those who helped us in time of tremendous hardship. Your support has meant the world to us all. The funeral will be held at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, 14251 Nall Ave., Leawood, KS 66224 on Thursday, January 18, starting at 11am. All friends and family are welcome and appreciated.

If you’d like to send flowers for the service, please send them to McGilley State Line Chapel, 12301 State Line Road, Kansas City, MO 64145.

Always the life of the party, it is only appropriate that a celebration of life should be held. We invite you to send Cooper off in style. We will be having a celebration of life at Blue Hills Country Club, 777 W. Burning Tree Dr., Kansas City, MO 64145 following the funeral service. Simply bring yourself and your favorite memory of Cooper to share to help us honor his wonderful life.