William Dale Kesner

William “Bill” Dale Kesner, age 85, passed away peacefully in his home in Chubbuck, Idaho, on August 7, 2026. Born on May 22, 1941, in San Bernardino, California, he was the son of William Eugene Kesner and Vyonne Mitchell Kesner.

Bill grew up in Pomona, California. In his youth, he enjoyed spending time with his family, playing little league baseball, and junior high football. For years he worked in his father’s butcher shop and later at Pep Boys auto supply store. He graduated from Ganesha High School in Pomona in 1959. He enjoyed hiking in the nearby San Bernardino mountains, and even backpacked the John Muir Trail from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney with friends when he was 20 years old. He attended Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree with a major in Botany and a minor in Zoology. He later completed a secondary lifetime teaching credential through California State University LA, reflecting his commitment to education and love of science.

Bill's early career included teaching high school biology for a year at Arcadia High School. While a student at Humboldt State University, he met Joan Mavey. Their marriage of over 58 years began on June 22, 1968. Bill became a graduate fellow in the California Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and earned his Master’s degree in Fisheries Biology at Humboldt State University. He often shared fond memories of his time doing fisheries research on the half-pounder steelhead trout on the lower Klamath River.

Bill then worked on The Maloney Canyon Project in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Riverside for three years before he and Joan moved to Yreka, California, in 1973. There he began a 20-year career as a fisheries biologist for the Klamath National Forest, where he enjoyed his work and made some lifelong friends. Bill and his family visited over 17 National Parks through the years, with Yellowstone, Yosemite, Sequoia, Grand Canyon, and Mesa Verde topping the list of favorites.

Bill and Joan welcomed their children with great joy, their daughter, Tamra Ann, in 1974, and their son, Brian David, in 1977. Bill's hobbies included fishing, camping, downhill and cross-country skiing, growing vegetables, doing astronomy, photography, and genealogy. As a family, they visited Bill's family in Pomona yearly, and enjoyed the magic of Disneyland during those trips. They also visited Joan’s family in Eureka, Arcata, and Crescent City areas.

After retiring from the Forest Service, Bill felt that his most rewarding jobs were mentoring several inmates at the Siskiyou County Jail in Yreka to prepare for and earn their GEDs to improve their lives, and helping adults and students learn life skills through the R.E.A.D. Program and Workforce Connection in Yreka. This chapter became one of the most meaningful of his career, reflecting his belief in second chances, personal growth, and the dignity of learning at any age.

In 2009, Bill and Joan moved to Pocatello, Idaho, where he enjoyed a peaceful and fulfilling retirement. He loved working on his model trains, traveling in his trailer, following the weather, playing with his many electronic gadgets, and sharing time with his dog, Shilo. Bill will be remembered for his life-long love of learning and curiosity about the world around him. Bill is deeply loved and missed by his family.

Bill is survived by his wife, Joan Marie Kesner; his daughter, Tamra Ann Kesner Bassett and her children Cassidy, Abigail, and Logan (Jaide) Bassett and their daughter Oakley; his son, Brian David (Tawny) Kesner and their children Mariah, Chase, Aubree, Mitchell and Max. William is preceded in death by an infant sister, his parents Vyonne and William Kesner, and his son-in-law Bradley Dee Bassett.

No services will be held at Bill’s request.

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