Dillahunty Family Tree

Colunbia, SC-- A memorial service for Rev. William Randolph Kinnett, 88, will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, August 17, at Washington Street United Methodist Church, 1401 Washington St, Columbia, SC with the Rev. Dr. Bill Childs and the Rev. Dr. Paul Harmon officiating. The family will receive friends prior to the service from 10-11:00 a.m. in the Wesley Room. Rev. Kinnett died August 14, 2015 at Agape Hospice House, Columbia. He was born May 2, 1927, in Plum Branch, SC to the late Reverend Paul and Ollie Kinnett. Rev. Kinnett was a graduate of Spartanburg Methodist College, Furman University and Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He was a retired United Methodist minister. Upon his retirement as a United Methodist minister, he resided in Columbia and was an active participant at Washington Street United Methodist Church. Surviving are his wife of 65 years, Mary Alice; daughters, Lee (Heath) Newman and Mary (Billy) Roberts, and sons, Mac (Lynda) and Forest; grandchildren, Don Kinnett, Hamp and Chris Newman, Randy Kinnett, Mary Leigh Schimmel, Caroline and Holly Kinnett, and Kari and Andrew Roberts, and eight great grandchildren. Rev. Kinnett was predeceased by his eldest son, Randy and his wife, Wanda. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the William R. Kinnett Endowed Scholarship at Spartanburg Methodist College, 1000 Powell Mill Rd, Spartanburg, SC 29301, or to the Washington Street UMC Foundation. (NOTE: Obit does not mention his son Paul McLaughlin, who married Lynda Joy Welborn though it lists the children of Paul & Lynda as grandchildrfen... the next item is an obit from a Methodist publication in SC which does list Paul.as his son)

The Reverend William Randolph “Bill” Kinnett joined the Church Triumphant on August 14, 2015. He was eighty-eight years old. “Bill” was born May 2, 1927, in Plum Branch, South Carolina, the son of Paul and Ollie Lee Powell Kinnett. He was a graduate of Spartanburg Methodist College and Furman University . His seminary training was at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology receiving his Emory degree in 1951. Bill was admitted On Trial in the South Carolina Conference in 1948 and received into Full Connection in 1952. His service as pastor to churches in the South Carolina Conference began as early as 1946. He served fourteen appointments in the South Carolina Conference among them, Mountain View-Few’s Chapel; Bethany, Summerville; Clemson; Bethel, Chester; Cayce; Trinity, Greenville, and First Church, Lancaster. He served as Superintendent of the Marion District (1976-1982) under Bishops Edward L. Tullis and Roy C. Clark. Bill was one of the prominent and outstanding leaders of theSouth Carolina Conference throughout a long career. He served on many conference boards and committees and had a keen insight into conference matters. Many sought out his counsel and advice. Bill was always very pensive and insightful. He would not be the first to speak on any matter; but when he did speak, generally everyone listened knowing the thought he had put into what he wanted to say. As a member of the Cabinet, he is credited with developing the “board” as a way to organize appointment-making in the conference. This was the beginning of the expression in the South Carolina Conference of “being on the board” which indicated a move. His last appointment was as Associate at Washington Street, Columbia. When hurricane Hugo swept into and through South Carolina in September, 1989, the conference asked Washington Street to allow him a leave from his duties there to serve as Coordinator of Disaster Relief for the Conference. He was considered one of the most knowledgeable persons in the conference for this task to which he gave effective leadership for many months. He retired in 1991 but continued to participate actively in Washington Street Church where his Memorial Service was held August 17, 2015, under the leadership of the Reverend Drs. William R. Childs and Paul W. Harmon. He is survived by his wife of sixty-five years, Mary Alice McLaughlin Kinnett, and four children, Lee Frances Kinnett Newman, Paul McLaughlin Kinnett, Robert Forest Kinnett, and Mary Alice Kinnett Roberts. He was preceded in death by his parents and a son, William Randolph Kinnett, Jr.