Milburn Houseman Kane III, known by his people as “Sonny,” 88, of Austin, Texas, went home to be with our Lord on August 16, 2024, surrounded by his wife Gayle, children, and grandchildren.

He was born on July 3, 1936, in Wickliffe, Kentucky to Milburn Kane, Jr., and Crystal Clark Kane. Sonny had two younger sisters, Rita and Dale, and he was a devoted big brother. Sonny graduated from Ballard Memorial High School in Wickliffe, where he played basketball and would cut class to watch the girls play volleyball.

After graduation, he served his country by enlisting in the United States Navy on July 14, 1955. Right before he shipped out to sea, Sonny married one of those Ballard volleyball players, Sara Elizabeth “Betty” Price, in Corpus Christi, Texas, on August 18, 1956.

After his honorable discharge from the Navy in 1963, Sonny and Betty made their home in Lexington, KY and then in Austin where he served as a developmental engineer at IBM for 25 years. His determination to solve problems was evidenced by multiple patents for innovations, including the Selectric Typewriter and an on-the-fly printer. In 1992, he developed Table Check, a system used by restaurants nationwide for efficient guest seating.

Sonny played as hard as he worked. An active leader in the Boy Scouts, he took his sons camping at Philmont Scout Ranch – first Andy, with David, Mike, and Chris joining the following year. Sonny embodied the lessons of Scouting with his sons during that time, and it was an experience that shaped their lives. Sonny loved his boys, and his boys loved Sonny.

Summer vacations meant packing up the family and traveling back to Kentucky for visits with Mawmaw Price and Granddaddy and Grandma Kane. As a coach of dozens of baseball and basketball teams, he always encouraged his sons and granddaughters to do their best and never gave up on them. His active, participatory love for his family forever informed how he spent his free time. He supported them at the games, the school functions, and the church events. Sonny’s favorite space was anywhere he could be with his family with a fishing pole in his hand - even if it was the tiny creek flowing behind their home in Austin. He was present, honest, and wholly devoted as a husband, father, and grandfather.

Upon his retirement, Sonny and Betty opened their home as a refuge for children in the foster care system. Over 100 boys and girls found love and peace in the Kane home in North Austin, even when life got rather noisy and chaotic. Sonny built a swing set, taught kids to fish and ride bicycles, sang badly to babies who enjoyed his efforts, measured the growth of each child on his laundry room wall, shuttled kids to sporting events and swim lessons, and advocated within the courts. Many adoptive parents looked to Sonny for wisdom and support, and their children considered him their adoptive grandfather.

One extraordinary baby – Devonte “DJ” – was brought to the Kane home from the hospital. As DJ grew, he became such an integral part of the household Sonny and Betty made him their fifth forever son, to the delight of their family and friends.

An active Bethany United Methodist Church member, Sonny would play Joseph with one of his foster babies as the Christ child in the living nativity scene at Christmas. As an officer in the Lions Club, his home’s foyer would be stacked high with boxes of peaches for their annual summer fundraiser. The attic was a warehouse filled with clothing, toys, cribs, and baby items for foster families. His garage was a working space where both things and hearts were mended.

When Betty became ill with cancer in 2009, Sonny sat by her bedside and read to her. He made sure she had every comfort and was devastated at her passing on September 30, 2011. Sonny poured his life into DJ, and the pair traveled extensively in a van, a vehicle he continued time and again to resurrect. Once he and DJ drove to a UK – Louisville rival game and were in awe at the fireworks set off inside the arena. The duo were avid Wildcat and Longhorn fans and saw no conflict with this arrangement. Sonny’s prayer was to live long enough to see DJ play college basketball, and his prayer was answered.

His Sunday school class gave him peace and comfort as a single father. One member, Gayle Swanson, needed someone to take her to medical appointments, and Sonny volunteered. Pretty soon, they were having lunch after the appointments and sitting closer to each other in church. Their family and friends were invited to Sonny’s house on May 15, 2015, for what they thought was another legendary Kane barbecue, but it turned out to be a surprise wedding.

With DJ in college, Sonny and Gayle traveled the United States in that van. They saw family, visited Gayle’s Midwestern hometown, attended weddings, drove from Texas to Maine, and experienced abundant life on the open road. Sonny and Gayle treasured one another, and they helped each other heal.

It is impossible to understate the kindness of Sonny’s heart. He didn’t just touch lives – he changed them. Calculating how many people were served his famous pancakes, his Christmas buckeyes, a bowl of gumbo, or his signature Kane cake for birthdays is impossible. No one ever went hungry in his presence, and no kid went without a Christmas present. If you ever had the privilege to sit at his table for breakfast or ran around in the Kane backyard chasing fireflies, you mattered and were loved. His deep faith required action, and he was a good and faithful servant of Christ to the very end.

Sonny was preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 55 years, Sara Elizabeth Price Kane, his brother-in-law, Hollie Price, and his very dear friend, Walt Cannon.

Sonny is survived by his wife, Gayle; his five sons, Milburn A. Kane, David L. Kane, Michael S. Kane, Roy C. Kane, and Devonte J. Kane; his sisters Dale (Mark) Porter and Rita (Chris) Kurz; two granddaughters, Katelyn J. Kane and Kemberley J. Kane; one great-granddaughter Emersyn Kane; a stepson David (Terri) Dauber; step-grandchildren Tycee Dauber and Denver Dauber; and cherished nieces, nephews, cousins, and foster children.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts in Sonny’s honor be made to Fostering Hope (www.iamfosteringhope.org)

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