Ronnie V. Kinchen, 74, of Watervliet, passed quietly at home on Saturday, April 16, 2022, surrounded by his family. Born in 1947, Ronnie was a proud U.S. Navy veteran, serving in Vietnam, from 1964-67.
Upon returning home, he married his wife Brenda in 1967 and she survives him today, his wife of 54 years.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Hal and Eva Kinchen, and siblings Raymond Kinchen, Carolyn Fowler, Doris Anglin, Judy Smith and his son, William Kinchen.
Ronnie was employed with various local companies over the years (Soper Mfg. and JL French), recently retiring from Walmart in 2022, where he was adoringly known as Papa Ron and Bike Builder Ron. He coached little league baseball in prior years and was a Green Bay Packers fan, as well as a walking encyclopedia of anything sports. The patriarch of his family, Ron was a man of faith, a man of good moral character, and he was well respected within the community.
Along with his wife Brenda, Ronnie had four children, Ronnie V. Kinchen Jr. (Rose) of Paw Paw, Melinda Larson (Scott) of Battle Creek, Teresa Ford (Daniel) of Watervliet, and Billy Kinchen (deceased). He is also survived by nine grandchildren, Victoria Kinchen, Scott Larson Jr., Ronnie V. Kinchen III (Searra), Kayla Larson, Amanda Paine (David), Jenny Wallace (Jared), Nicolle Larson, JJ, and Gage; as well as five great-grandchildren, with two on the way.
Ron will be missed dearly by his family and friends, but we all rest with the knowledge he is with the Lord and his son, Billy. We invite you to attend a gathering in his remembrance Saturday, April 23, 2022, at Hutchins Funeral Home, 209 S. Main St., Watervliet. A viewing will be held from 1-3 p.m., with the memorial service from 3-4 p.m. You are invited to leave a message of comfort for Ronnie’s family at hutchinsfuneral.com.