William “Bill” Robert Kuykendall

   UPDATED SERVICE INFORMATION:  A Celebration of Bill’s Life will be held on Saturday, April 22, 2023 at the Markwood Funeral Home in Keyser at 11:00am with Reverend Dr. Robert Edmunds officiating. Private inurnment held in the Johnson-Greenwell Cemetery.

William Robert “Bill” Kuykendall

     KEYSER, WV - William Robert “Bill” Kuykendall, a life-long resident of Mineral County, died Friday, December 9th 2022 at Sunnyside Farm, his home on Patterson Creek, of complications from cancer at the age of 67 years.

     Mr. Kuykendall was born November 19th 1955 in Cumberland, Maryland, the youngest of three children of John Michael and Anne Elizabeth (née Cook) Kuykendall.  The Kuykendall and Johnson families have farmed Sunnyside Farm since the 1740s, granted to their family by Lord Fairfax and surveyed by James Genn and George Washington in 1748.

     After graduating from Keyser High School, Bill began undergraduate studies in plant science, culminating in a bachelor’s degree and then a Master’s degree in plant pathology from West Virginia University. With a view to returning to Sunnyside Farm, Bill pursued and attained a law degree from West Virginia University College of Law. He was admitted to the West Virginia bar in 1984 and began a general practice of law in Keyser while working simultaneously with his parents on their dairy farm. In 2008, Bill wrapped up his general practice and continued his career as an attorney with the State of West Virginia. Upon his parents’ retirement and death, Bill continued to manage the family farm, transitioning to, first, custom silage and, later, a cow-calf operation.

     Bill was active in his community, including as a member of Springfield Presbyterian Church, serving as an elder and as Clerk of Session. He also served as a Trustee of the Eusebia Foundation managing the Eusebia Presbyterian Church site and cemetery, and also served as a trustee of the Greenwell Cemetery.

     Bill was well known as a flower gardener with a particular affinity for irises and roses. An avid reader of political and historical biography as well as accounts of agrarian life, Bill’s house was filled to overflowing with books. In later years, Bill enjoyed playing his keyboard and travelling with his mother and with friends.

     For the past several years, Bill battled cancer, coming in and out of partial remission. But he also made a point of carrying on with his parents’ practice of hosting extended family reunions at Sunnyside on Labor Day weekends.

     Bill was well thought of and well loved by family, friends and neighbors for a lively sense of humor, his intentional neighborliness and for lending a hand without being asked.

     Predeceased by his brother, Mike Jr., as well as his parents, Bill is survived by his sister, Carole Anne Junkins (William), his nephew, William Franklin Junkins (Karen), and many beloved cousins.

     A Celebration of Bill’s Life will be held on Saturday, April 22, 2023 at the Markwood Funeral Home in Keyser at 11:00am with Reverend Dr. Robert Edmunds officiating. Private inurnment held in the Johnson-Greenwell Cemetery.

     Arrangements have been entrusted in the Markwood Funeral Home, Keyser.

     In lieu of flowers, the family suggests sending memorial donations to a charity of your choice in Bill’s memory.

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