Kenneth Earl “Kenny” Williamson Sr.

(January 30, 1953 – September 17, 2026)

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at Billy M. King-Colonial Chapel Funeral Home in Collins for Kenneth Earl “Kenny” Williamson, Sr., 73, of Seminary, who passed away on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at Asbury Hospice House in Hattiesburg.

Reverend Glenn Shoemake and Reverend Lee Faler will officiate the service, with interment to follow at Williamson Family Cemetery in Seminary. Special music will be provided by Mrs. Sadie Jordan. Billy M. King-Colonial Chapel Funeral Home in Collins will be in charge of the arrangements.

The family will receive friends from 9:30 a.m. until the service begins at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday at Billy M. King-Colonial Chapel Funeral Home, 3202 Highway 49, Collins, Mississippi 39428.

Pallbearers will be Eddie Sadowski, Wade Yates, Ethan Williamson, David Williamson, Brandon Hand, Walt Boleware, and Ryan Smith. Honorary pallbearers will be Richard Woolwine, John Woolwine, Daniel Woolwine, Roy Parker, and L.D. Abercrombie.

Kenny was born on January 30, 1953, in Taylorsville, Mississippi, to Emmett Ray and Lewois Lott Williamson. He was a hard-working and remarkably capable man. There was not much he was afraid to tackle, and throughout his life he made his living with his hands through ironwork, welding, logging, truck driving, and other trades.

Kenny had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to laugh, but he may have loved making other people laugh even more. He was an avid sports fan and especially enjoyed cheering on his Mississippi State Bulldogs, his hometown Seminary Bulldogs, the Dallas Cowboys, and, when it came to baseball, the New York Yankees. He also loved trips to the mountains, good music, and spending time with his family and friends.

Music was one of Kenny’s great gifts and joys. He was a gifted musician with a particular talent for the steel guitar, but he could also play guitar, bass, piano, and other instruments. Whether he was playing music himself or simply listening, it was something that brought him joy throughout his life.

Kenny was a longtime member and trustee of Calvary Baptist Church in Seminary. He loved the Lord, and his faith was an important part of who he was.

Above all else, Kenny loved his family. He dearly loved Judy, his wife of fifty years, and the family they built together. He loved his family deeply, believed in working hard and doing things the right way, and was never afraid to expect the best from the people he loved. To his family, he was simply “Papa”—a name that extended beyond his grandchildren to nieces, nephews, and others who loved him. He took great joy in his large family and especially enjoyed the time they spent together.

Kenny will be remembered for his faith, his music, his humor, his toughness and determination, and, above all, the deep love he had for his family.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Emmett Ray and Lewois Lott Williamson; his granddaughter, Kinsey Lane Williamson; two sisters, Mary Lou Williamson Carlock and Debra Carol Williamson; and six brothers, Ray Edward Williamson, David Williamson, Sonny Williamson, Marcus Williamson, Charles Ray Williamson, and Milton Williamson.

He is survived by his wife of fifty years, Judy Boleware Williamson of Seminary; his son, Kenny Williamson, and his wife, Shay, of Madison; his daughter, Dava Williamson Hernandez, and her husband, Caleb, of Pensacola, Florida; his brother, Carlton Lee Williamson, and his wife, Evelyn, of Collins; his sister, Essie Gay Williamson Turner of Charlotte, North Carolina; five grandchildren, Ben Hernandez, Heidi Hernandez, Kenneth Hauer Williamson, Sterling Williamson, and Caleb Williamson; and many beloved nieces and nephews, extended family members, and friends.

Family members and friends may sign an online guestbook at www.billymkingcolonialchapel.com