PRESIDIO COUNTY — Early Saturday morning, a Presidio man was killed in a single-vehicle accident about 28 miles south of Marfa on U.S.-67. The driver, 31-year-old Kendall Willson, was transported back to Marfa, where he was pronounced dead at 4:38 a.m.
Per a preliminary report by Texas Department of Safety (DPS) Trooper Eric Posada, Willson was heading south from Marfa towards Presidio when he lost control approaching a curve. Posada believes he attempted to overcorrect the steering, causing the vehicle to roll over multiple times.
DPS troopers encountered Willson by the side of the road after he had been ejected from the vehicle. He was transported by Marfa EMS, but succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter. His body was sent to Lubbock for an autopsy; an investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Willson is survived by his two sons: Liam, age 12, and Caellumn, age 9. His family and friends have deep roots in the the Big Bend region, including parents Martha Stafford and David Long of Shafter, and brothers Chad, Jeff and Michael Willson, Hadden Elms and Trevor Smith.
Services were held in Marfa on Wednesday. The congregation, led by Father Michael Wallens, packed the church at St. Paul’s Episcopal. A celebration of life in Terlingua is forthcoming at a date to be determined.
Willson was a volunteer at the Marfa and Presidio County Museum, and his family requests that donations be made to the museum in lieu of flowers. They would like to extend their deep gratitude to the friends and family across the Big Bend who loved and cherished him.