William Franklin “Sonny” Kernea III

The family of William F. “Sonny” Kernea III of Chickamauga, Ga is saddened to announce his passing August 30th, 2020 after a 41 year battle with Multiple Sclerosis. He was 62 years old.

Sonny is preceded in death by his father, William F. “Bill” Kernea II, and his mother, Patricia Manis.

He is survived by his wife, Lori, his two children, Blake and Bailey, and bonus son, Alex. Sonny is a graduate of Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School and an alumnus of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Sonny was a devoted father and husband throughout his life. Sonny served as a residential real estate appraiser, investor, and developer in the Chattanooga area for over 40 years. Sonny was a huge Atlanta Braves and Georgia Bulldogs fan, a worldwide traveler, a lover of Motown and country music, and a western movie enthusiast. 

At this time, we have been blessed with an amazing perspective. MS took so much from this man. In the end, we are left with memories of what MS COULD NOT take. MS COULD NOT take his fighting spirit and his selflessness. MS COULD NOT take his faith. MS COULD NOT take away his desire to be the best father, husband, and man he could be. He never missed a baseball game, wrestling match, football game, ballet recital or horse show. He would summon all of the energy he had for the day to check on you, make sure you’re ok, that you’re happy, and if there was anything he could do for you. MS COULD NOT take this man’s work ethic and desire to provide for his family. MS CANNOT take away his legacy and his influence in the lives he will continue to touch.

We are forever grateful for the opportunities and love that you gave to us. We are grateful that we were able to tell you that we love you at the end of every day. No matter how many times we made mistakes, we are eternally grateful to have a father and husband that challenged us to be better people and never missed an opportunity to tell us how proud he was of his family. We promise to give everything we have for the ones we love most, just like you did.

This is not the end. You are our hero. We cannot wait to see you again. 

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Multiple Sclerosis Society at nationalmssociety.org or Tapestry Hospice of Northwest GA at tapestryhospice.com

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, September 3rd, 2020 at 7pm in the South Crest Chapel.

Condolences may be shared at lane-southcrestchapel.com

The family will receive friends Thursday from 5pm until the service hour in the South Crest Chapel of Lane Funeral home & Crematory, Rossville.