William (Bill) Hayes Kersting, 88, passed away on January 7, 2025. He was a loving, kind, and patient husband, dad, grandpa, brother, uncle, and professor who will be deeply missed. Bill is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Joanne, his children Hans and Kathy, daughter-in-law Pam and their families, his brother Chris of Yuba City, CA and his sister Ada Randall of Taos. Bill had 6 grandchildren who knew him as Pappy Bill and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in passing by his beloved son, Michael, his brother Raymond and his sister Tess Reis.
Bill was devoted to his wife and family, his siblings, former students, colleagues, and caregivers (who knew him as Mr. Bill). One of his favorite pastimes was walking his beagles through the NM desert as they picked up the scent of nearby rabbits. Bill and Joanne shared a deep love for music and it was how they met. For years, Bill sang in his church and community choirs. His family recalls Bill watching football on TV on the weekends on mute, while ‘Live at the Metropolitan Opera’ blared from the stereo!
Born in Santa Fe, NM, Bill was a life-long New Mexican. His early life was shared with his parents and four siblings. They were faithful and very close and they remained this way throughout his life.
Bill moved to Las Cruces to attend New Mexico State University to study Electrical Engineering and never left. He went on to join the faculty at NMSU and became a highly respected and admired Professor of Electrical Engineering for 40 years. Bill’s commitment and dedication to his students, and the field of engineering, is difficult to describe. Professionally, Bill was an expert and won numerous awards throughout his career. He was particularly well-known for establishing the NMSU Electric Utility Management Program. The EUMP “dream” began in the ‘60’s when Bill and several electric utility executives envisioned the need for graduates with Master’s degree training that could enter the electric utility workforce ready to “hit the ground running.”
In addition to his academic endeavors, Bill authored Distribution System Modeling and Analysis, which was used as a textbook in graduate programs throughout the country and abroad and is currently translated in many languages throughout the world. It is now in its 5th edition. As a valued consultant in his field to industry leaders such as Milsoft, Bill continued to work with and educate those throughout his field, long after retirement from the university.
Since his passing, many colleagues and former students have sent their thoughts on the impact he had on the power industry and their lives. One mentioned that “Bill was a pioneer and icon in our industry and will be greatly missed”, while another said “He goes down in my book as an absolute legend in electric power educational excellence.”
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Michael Ross Kersting AIA Endowed Scholarship fund to benefit students of the School of Architecture at North Carolina State University. Checks made payable to NC State Foundation can be mailed directly to NCSU College of Design, Attn: Lauren Hipp, Campus Box 7701, Raleigh, NC 27695. Make reference to Michael Ross Kersting Memorial Fund.
A Celebration of Life will be held in honor of Bill at his home in Las Cruces on January 25 at 3:30pm. Email [email protected] for the address (or livestream link). Bill’s family thanks the many devoted caregivers who cared for him and who also feel this great loss.
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