Obituaries

It is with a heavy heart that I share Bay Mills Indian Community’s tribal elder James Webster “Web” Kinney has walked on at the age of 96 years old on October 25, 2025. At the time of his passing, he was the oldest member of the Bay Mills Indian Community and the last tribal member born in the 1920’s.

Web was born on the Bay Mills Reservation on May 15, 1929, on the second floor of the home his father, Jack Kinney, built. That home would later be moved across the street and become a store well-known in the community for many years.

A proud veteran, Web served in the United States Army during the Korean War, rising to the rank of First Lieutenant. While in the Army, he was selected for an Army Skeet Team, a role he earned in a story that became one of his favorites to tell. Having never seen a skeet range before, Web was invited by his commanding officer to give it a try. He hit twenty-four out of twenty-five targets on his first attempt. When asked how he’d learned to shoot so well, he simply replied that he had practiced as a boy on the Rez, hunting geese and other game to help feed his family. That gift for precision never left him and throughout his life, he remained a remarkable marksman with rifle, shotgun, and bow alike.

In the 1960’s, Web served his community on the Brimley School Board and organized a Boy Scout Troop on the reservation, inspiring local youth to learn responsibility, outdoor skills, and respect for nature. He also owned the Sinclair gas station on what is now Bay Mart and later worked at Wieneke Soo Ford. When the closure of Kincheloe Air Force Base loomed in 1966, Web moved his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he worked for Phil Long Ford until his retirement.

As retirement began, Web desired to return to his one true home, Bay Mills Indian Community. It was in his later years that Web would continue serving his community, devoting much of his time to traditional craftsmanship, becoming a master artisan, and respected teacher of longbow making. For ten years, he taught bow making at Bay Mills Community College, carefully passing down knowledge that blended traditional technique, patience, and precision. His bows were known not just for their beauty, but for their balance and performance, each one a reflection of the same skill and care that defined his marksmanship.

Web will be remembered for his sharp wit, steady aim, and unwavering devotion to family and community. His life bridged generations, carrying forward the values of hard work, self-reliance, and respect for tradition that continue to guide the Bay Mills Indian Community.

Above all else, Web Kinney was deeply cherished by friends and family, a father, a grandfather, an uncle, a cousin, and a best friend. His passing will leave an absence in the lives of many within Bay Mills. Please take a moment today to put some seemaa (tobacco) down to pray for a safe journey for Web to the spirit world, and for strength and comfort for his family in their time of grief. You are in all our thoughts and prayers.

Web is survived by his children, Jim, Jeff and Jayne; and great-granddaughter, Jasmine.

Web was preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Myrtle (LeBlanc) Kinney; brothers, Leon and Lionel; sister, Monica; son, Jon; daughter, Julie; and granddaughter, Tiffany.

A Traditional Pipe Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 7:00 PM at the Bay Mills Cultural Center, 12498 W. Tower Road, Brimley, MI 49715.

Visitation will take place on Saturday, November 1, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church, 12014 W. Lakeshore Drive, Brimley, MI 49715. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10:00 AM.

Burial will follow at Mission Hill Cemetery in Bay Mills, Michigan.

Miigwetch.