Shock and grief swept through the community today in the wake of the death of Kenneth H. Wills yesterday by his own hand.

It was to have been his first day as Olympic college basketball coach after 26 years at Bremerton (now West) high school.

The 52-year-old Wills, a strong disciplinarian and through it a builder of men as well as winning teams, had become one of the outstanding basketball men in the state in 30 years of coaching.

He died about 1 p.m. in the garage of his home at 1018 Trenton Ave, of a self-inflicted pistol shot wound in the head, according to Dr. John P. Rynd, coroner. His body was discovered shortly after 3 p.m. by Sun sportswriter John K. Smith, who had gone to the Wills home in concern over Will's uncharacteristic failure to turn up at basketball practice.

Smith told police he found Wills lying in the basement garage with a pistol nearby. Police said they learned later that Wills had purchased the .38-calibre pistol at 10:15 that morning, shortly after he left the college. He taught one class yesterday morning.

A note, addressed t his wife, Thelma, indicated the veteran coach felt the new junior college post was "intolerable" to him.

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Friends said he had been in anxiety over whether to accept the position left open by the death of Phil Pesco Nov. 4. They added that he did not seem to want the position even after he accepted it last Thursday.

The coroner said the suicide note indicated he felt that he could not handle the job.

In Wills' 26 years as a Bremerton high school coach and teacher he had taken 11 teams to the state basketball tournament. His 1941 team was state champion; three other times his boys took second place.

Wills was born in Boise, Idaho, Dec. 18, 1909. His family lived in Boise, then in Oregon for a short time, moving to Walla Walla when he was about 8 years old.

He began his athletic career in Walla Walla schools, being a member of state championship Walla Walla basketball teams. He attended Washington State college on a basketball scholarship, playing there three years after taking one year out to prepare for Olympic trials as a track miler.

He graduated from college to begin his coaching career at Kelso high school, where he remained two years before coming to Bremerton.

He was married here in 1938 to Thelma Dane, then a secretary to the school superintendent.

Beside his wife, he is survived by his mother, two sisters, Mrs A.E. Huguenin of Bremerton and Mrs. T.A. Boswell fo Santa Ana, Calif.

Services are pending at Lewis chapel. A spokesman said they will be at the end of the week.