Obituary of William A. Kamins

William "Bill" A. Kamins passed away peacefully on October 13, 2023, in Hilton Head, SC. He was an avid sailor and photographer who enjoyed spending time with his family and connecting with people socially and professionally.

Born in 1934, Bill grew up in West Hartford, CT, with his parents, Robert and Rose Kamins, and older sisters Marian and Roberta. Despite being much younger than his sisters, he felt that when Marian married Seymour Russell and Roberta married Daniel Feldman, he really gained two older brothers.

After graduating from Boston University with a degree in business, studying under Professor Alan Beckwith, a mentor who became a lifelong friend; Bill earned his MBA from Harvard Business School, continuing at Harvard as a Research Associate authoring several business cases. Also serving In the U.S. Army Reserve, he achieved the rank of Lieutenant.

In 1964, Bill married Carol Adensam, raising two children, Robert and Lisa, and spending summers sailing on Long Island Sound and then Lake Michigan. Their lives took different paths, however, and they divorced in 1979.

A talented and perceptive business executive, Bill became President of the Linen Supply Association of America, working at Change-o-Matic Corporation in NY, then moving to Chicago, and becoming Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Morgan Linen, then General Manager at Ames Supply, leading a start-up hospital supply division for ARA Services, and eventually becoming president of his own company, Tech Support Associates.

One of his favorite roles in his career arc was Director of the Executive MBA program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While co-teaching a course in the application of the early personal computer for business executives, he met and later married Patricia Weller. Living near Chicago until the 1990s, they relocated to Hilton Head, becoming longtime residents of Windmill Harbor.

Bill was always close to his nieces and nephews, Dr. Joel and Debbie Feldman, John and Peg Feldman, Deborah (Feldman) and David O’Malley, Jim and Kathy Russell, Bob Russell and Cindee Carlson, and Katherine (Russell) and Paul Becker. He also cherished his many grandnieces and grandnephews and was a devoted grandfather to Carolina, Sarah, and Alex.

A celebration of Bill's life will be held at 2 pm on Saturday, January 6, at the Island Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Palmetto Animal League, https://palmettoanimalleague.org/.