Kenny Ballinger

Kenneth Morgan Ballinger was born on February 9, 1984, in Wichita, Kansas. Kenny passed away as a result of a tragic hit and run motorcycle accident on August 26, 2021. Kenny is survived by his wife, Dariah; son, Harlan; mother, Dee-D (John Bird) Ballinger; father, Bruce (Pam) Ballinger; mother-in-law, Rhonda Little; sister Carly Ballinger; step-brothers, Ryan Armstrong and Ross Armstrong; step-grandmother, Lorene "Granny" Cunningham; aunts and uncles, Doug and Darlene Reed, Jeff and Sue McKinney, Carol Parsons, Bill and Linda Fogt, Ron Murphy, Dana Ballinger, Terry Jones, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Kenny is predeceased by his grandparents, Paul and Sue McKinney and Kenneth and Alice Ballinger; father-in-law Doug Little; and uncle, Bob McKinney; aunts, Kay Murphy and Tammy Jones.

Kenny's early years were spent in Derby and Oregon. He graduated from Derby High School in 2002. Kenny attended Cowley County Community College, focusing on business. He started booking bands in the mid-2000s at the Lizard Lounge, opened the Elbow Room in 2013, followed by Fine Swine Productions in 2018, and Barleycorn's in 2019.

Kenny and Dariah married in August 2014, and were blessed with the birth of Harlan in November 2018. Kenny loved many things: spending time with Dariah and Harlan, family and friends, live music events of all types, shooting pool, riding his Harley; DJing for bike events, weddings, and class reunions, and helping local and national bands any way he could.

Kenny was a huge WWE fan and held an annual Wrestlemania seafood boil with his dad, family, and friends for the last 20 years.

Visitation at Smith Family Mortuary, 1415 N. Rock Road, Derby, Kansas on Thursday, September 2, 2021, 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm, with family present from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Celebration of Life service will be held at South Rock Christian Church, 900 S. Rock Road, Derby, Kansas on Friday, September 3, 2021 at 10:00 am. Interment to follow at El Paso Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be given to the GoFundMe account. http://gofund.me/ce01cd