Grace Margaret (Kenerson) Witzell

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution announces with great sorrow the death of retiree Grace Margaret (Kenerson) Witzell on January 18 at Bourne Manor Nursing Home from complications of dementia.  She was 90.

Grace was born in North Brookfield, Massachusetts, the daughter of Clarence W. Kenerson and Margaret (Ward) Kenerson. She moved to Woods Hole in 1942 and graduated from Lawrence High School in 1943. She worked in the MBL Supply Department. In 1945 she married Warren E. Witzell of Cape May, New Jersey.  He had been stationed in Woods Hole during World War II on a U.S. Navy crash boat. Grace worked for the business office of Bell Telephone (New England Tel. & Tel. at the time) in Falmouth for 10 years. In 1963 she began working for Bill Dunkle in the Data Library at WHOI, progressing from technical assistant to research assistant. She retired in 1987 but remained as a casual employee of the WHOI library until 1989. In later years, she volunteered as a docent at the Woods Hole Historical Museum and also worked at the MBL Gift Shop.

Grace was an avid jogger and walker. Many in Woods Hole will remember her walking with her bloodhound Daisy through the village at least three times a day.

She was pre-deceased in 2001 by her husband Warren, known as “Whitey.” She leaves her sons, Warren E. (Nick) Witzell, Jr. of Falmouth and Wayne N. Witzell of Las Cruces, New Mexico.

A gathering to celebrate her life will be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers you may give to the charity of your choice.