In memoriam Bill Whitehead, 25 October, 1937 – 24 June, 2010

Posted byKendall DunkelbergPosted inUncategorized

Bill was the strongest, most caring of men–a wonderful father to Kim and her sisters and grandfather to Aidan and his cousins. He was a millwright and in later years, a farmer. He passed away tonight at about 11:00 p.m. For the past year we knew he suffered from ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). He may have had symptoms for several years but never complained, and he fought the good fight, surviving much longer than his doctors expected thanks to his incredible heart and the care of his wife, Betty. Though he suffered the ravages of this disease, he rarely complained. In the end, he found peace from his suffering. Many thanks to the Hospice of Marshall County, Alabama, and to the ALS Chapter of Alabama for their support and care throughout this trying illness. Bill will be greatly missed–he is deeply loved.

Published by Kendall Dunkelberg

I am a poet, translator, and professor of literature and creative writing at Mississippi University for Women, where I direct the Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing, the undergraduate concentration in creative writing, and the Eudora Welty Writers' Symposium. I am Chair of the Department of Languages, Literature, and Philosophy, and I have published four collections of poetry, Tree Fall with Birdsong, Barrier Island Suite, Time Capsules, and Landscapes and Architectures, as well as a collection of translations of the Belgian poet Paul Snoek, Hercules, Richelieu, and Nostradamus, and the textbook A Writer's Craft: Multi-Genre Creative Writing. I was born and raised in Osage, Iowa, and have lived for over thirty years in Columbus, Mississippi, where my wife Kim and I let wildflowers grow in our yard to the delight of spring polinators and only some of our neighbors.

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