William Edward Kidd Jr.

William Edward “Bill” Kidd Jr. of Austin, Texas passed away October 21st after a long illness. Bill was born in Dallas, Texas to Fanibeth (Harris) Kidd and William Edward Kidd Sr. He was preceded in death by his parents and beloved wife Cathy, and survived by his son Benjamin, daughter-in-law Katherine Alonso, their son, Caleb Alonso-Kidd; his daughter, Rebecca Barnes, son-in-law, Robert Barnes, their children, Jackson and Veronica Barnes. He is also survived by his sisters Beth Davis, Donna Smith, Anne Ward and Amy Rosenberg, their families, and many other beloved in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews

For decades, Bill covered state politics on behalf of small-town Texas. Through his Austin Notebook and Business Notebook columns, carried by papers from Longview to Plainview and Kilgore to Killeen, he kept readers informed about Texas government, from the activities of titans like John Conally, Ann Richards and Bob Bullock to the minutia of how changes to banking and insurance regulation would impact their daily lives.

Bill was an enthusiastic outdoorsman, amateur astronomer and paleontologist, and equally enthusiastic about sharing those passions with others. He loved taking novices fossil hunting, showing neighbors the rings of Saturn through his telescope, and introducing youth to the outdoors through Scouting. Bill took on many roles as a volunteer for the Boy and Girl Scouts, most notably serving many years as an Assistant District Commissioner assisting scoutmasters and pack leaders with paperwork so they could focus on working with scouts.

A poet, wordsmith, and family man, the only thing Bill enjoyed more than being outdoors was making terrible puns while surrounded by family.

A celebration of life will be held for Bill at University United Methodist Church on November 14th at 2 PM.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bill’s memory to the Capitol Area Council Boy Scouts of America, Mobile Loaves & Fishes or to Foundation Communities of Austin.