Mckenzie Williams was a bright light, according to her writing instructor Dr. Megan Muthupandiyan, assistant professor of writing at the University of Wisconsin-Superior (UWS).
“Mckenzie had such a gift and a grace,” Dr. Muthupandiyan (known as Dr. Meg to her students), said. “Her spirit was so alive and so vibrant. She embodied the best of what a liberal arts education should be.”
Tragically, Mckenzie died in a motorcycle accident on June 9, 2024, shortly after completing her degree in English and Writing from UWS.
Mckenzie was, indeed, a shining star. Among her talents her family noted she was a gifted musician, playing multiple instruments, singing and penning the lyrics to her music. She performed with the Clark County Children’s Choir for three years and performed on stage for the 2012 Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas. She was a dancer, spoke fluent Japanese and knew American Sign Language. She was also set to begin the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Augsburg University that fall.
As well, Mckenzie loved to go on road trips and had traveled extensively, often with her grandparents. Even as a young child, she attended community events and volunteered to serve meals to those experiencing homelessness. Toward the end of her life, she took up knitting socks and crocheting afghans, sharing her bounty with others.
Her mother, Missy Green, calls her daughter “amazing” and stated she was the “best parts of me and my husband.”
Her grandmother, Ellen (Ellie) Vatthauer Green called her a treasure.
And, her former colleagues at the university’s student-led literary publication, The Nemadji Review, described her as “Always having such a kind light to her presence. She was passionate about both her future and her writing, and we had looked forward to watching as she shared her gifts with the rest of the world. She inspired us to continue writing and to continue growing as scholars and writers, and we are deeply grateful to have had the chance to work with her. Mckenzie’s creativity and spirit will be missed dearly by all, and we will carry her presence with us.”
Clearly, Mckenzie Lee Williams left behind a remarkable legacy, as well as grieving family members and friends.
But she also left behind a gift.
While at UWS Mckenzie applied for and was awarded a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) through the university – one that allowed her to pursue writing a children’s book titled Ellie’s Pursuit of the Mighty Fitz.
According to her mother, the inspiration for this book came to Mckenzie when she worked at a bookstore and was often asked for a children’s book about the Edmund Fitzgerald. “She conducted extensive research in preparation for writing this book,” Missy explained. “She even went to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Michigan, where the bell from the SS Edmund Fitzgerald is on display. In the book, Ellie has many of the characteristics of Mckenzie’s real-life personality as a young girl, and Gigi, in the book, has many of the characteristics of Mckenzie’s real-life maternal grandma, Ellen (Ellie) Vatthauer Green.”
The book follows Ellie and her grandmother Gigi on a spring break road trip they’ll never forget as they make stops along the way to learn about the historic shipwreck, starting in Superior and ending in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The book weaves a story of loss and remembrance as Ellie grapples with her feelings over the death of her own beloved grandfather, a sailor, and the men lost at sea on the infamous ship.
The book posthumously outlines Mckenzie’s very own inspiration for the book.
“The book started as a little spark. There were picture and adult books on the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, but I wanted to write something that was as fun as it was informational. That is when Ellie came to life. Ellie, like me in many ways, is a curious and intelligent young lady. I wanted Ellie to ask questions and learn about the Fitz like I had. I spent weeks looking through the files of information and I read newspaper stories and read the official documents. Even with all the information I still had questions. I went to my community to seek answers. I did interviews with people who knew the crew. They told me incredible stories and I am honored to be part of the active memory of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I talked with fellow researchers who preserve the history of the Great Lakes. I watched documentaries. I still had questions so I took a road trip to Sault Ste Marie, just like Ellie did.”
The book was in the editing and illustration phase when its author passed away, but the writing portion of the project was mostly completed.
Following Mckenzie’s death, Ellie’s Pursuit of the Mighty Fitz had taken a back seat to Missy’s ever-present grief, but when she was later approached by Dr. Meg about possibly publishing the book, Mckenzie’s mother started to contemplate the opportunity to keep some part of Mckenzie’s legacy alive.
“I became determined to see this through to publication,” she explained. “In many ways it was a wonderful therapy for all of us.”
Indeed, Missy is being humble when it comes to her tenacity, according to Dr. Meg. “Missy and the people who worked on this book to keep it moving forward were dedicated beyond words. They were giving life to Mckenzie’s words and keeping her spirit alive while meeting every Wednesday for six months and then going forward to keep doing their individual work on the project. The creative care they took with this was amazing. In many ways working on this has been a great privilege and a year of healing.”
In the published book Mckenzie has left her acknowledgements to those who helped her live, grow and write: “There are so many people to thank that helped this story come to life. Most of all, a huge thank you to Dr. Megan Muthupandiyan, my mentor. She believed in my idea and supported me through the research and writing that made this project real. This couldn’t be possible without the kind and wildly interesting people I interviewed to get a wide perspective on the Edmund Fitzgerald. To Patricia, Ric, Bruce, Craig and others, thank you for sharing your stories and inspiring some of the plot points and characters in my story. Thank you to my family who are incredibly supportive and were my beta readers through the drafting process. They helped keep my motivation going. Thank you to the University of Wisconsin-Superior for supporting my research. I could not have done the majority of my research without the Maritime Archives and other information kept by the university. Thank you also to Laura, with the university library, who helped direct my research. And to my readers, thank you for your curiosity.”
Mckenzie’s mother added to these acknowledgements: “We are forever thankful to Mckenzie’s late grandpa, Loren Luthi, who is referenced in the book, and who greatly influenced her life as he helped her become the person she was. Thank you, Dr. Megan Muthupandiyan, for all your dedicated time and for mentoring Mckenzie and her family in getting this book published. Thank you, Alayna Maria, our illustrator. You created illustrations that will be cherished forever. Thank you, Yvette Klauer, our editor. You took on this project as an intern and dedicated your time and knowledge to ensuring all the Ts were crossed. Both of you gave so much more than was expected. Your love for this project will shine through in its completion. My hope for you ladies is to have unimaginable success in your lives, as I wanted for my beautiful daughter. You will carry a piece of her with you always.”
A book launch for Ellie’s Pursuit of the Mighty Fitz was held at Rapids Riverside in South Range on Oct. 4.
The book will be released on Amazon on Oct. 10 and will retail for $17.99.
Holly Kelsey-Henry is a freelance writer based in Northern Wisconsin. “As a fellow writer and someone who knew Mckenzie albeit briefly it is heartbreaking, yet heartwarming to see the dream of every writer come to life – for their words to touch lives long after they are gone.”
