In Orlando, Florida, this weekend, family, friends, and fans of Ron Kenoly gathered to pay respects to his legacy. The beloved worship leader who took his songs of praise to more than 120 countries around the world passed away February 4th.
For more than 40 years, Ron Kenoly didn’t just lead worship services; he helped people meet God in a deeply personal way through praise and worship.
At Judah Church, family, friends, and believers from around the world gathered to celebrate his life. His three sons honored their father the way he would have loved most—through tears, stories, and song.
They shared that although not a perfect man, he was a loving dad—determined to teach his sons to give God all glory, all power, and all honor.
What he poured into his children, he also shared with many others.
Singer-Songwriter Micah Stampley said, “It’s been tough, his transition. He’s always been a father figure, he’s Doc and then he’s Pops.”
Kenoly invested personally in worshipers and musicians like concert pianist Adlan Cruz—consistently pointing them to the true purpose of worship.
“We traveled to maybe 40 countries together. And I saw him as more than just an artist or a leader. I saw him as a worshipper, a true worshipper,” Cruz said.
Grammy-winning worship leader Israel Houghton says Ron’s influence deeply shaped his life and ministry.
“When I went into being kind of like a professional, so to speak, in leading worship, Ron Kenoly was the North Star of that,” Houghton said.
For Don Moen, who was the creative director and president for Integrity Music, Ron became more than a partner on stage—he was a brother, as they traveled the world to share Jesus through music.
Global ministry organizer Grace Knodt said, “What a pioneer from the beginning. He helped, along with others, change modern worship.”
Bruno Miranda, Kenoly’s longtime music director and close associate, said, “Give to other people what comes from the word of God—I think that was the main thing with Doc. If you take any of his songs, they were all biblical.”
Dr. Kenoly’s son, Sam Kenoly, shared that, until the very end, his father never stopped doing what he was created to do—worshipping God.
“He was singing new songs that he had wrote for hours, giving praise to God. And then he laid his head down and he went to sleep. And the Lord took him,” he said.
Ron Kenoly—a man who lived to worship God in spirit and truth.
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