I am blessed to have had my Uncle John as a part of my life.  He was a supportive and funny teacher, friend and mentor - one of the best people I have ever known.  I got to know Uncle John during my 4 years of college in California and, also, for the 14 years I lived in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama as a military spouse.  Uncle John was always there whenever I had a question or just needed someone to help me work through a problem.  One of our first talks was when I was very sick after my wisdom teeth were pulled while in college.  Then there was the time my spouse was deployed to Iraq and I was in Tennessee with a 2-year-old and new born living thousands of miles from my own parents.  Uncle John and Aunt Kathie came to pick up the 3 of us so we could visit them in Georgia.  On the way home, my 2-year-old son said over and over his best friend's name. Harley.  Not once did Uncle John get frustrated with Trenton as he drove us home.  The whole time I prayed Trenton would fall asleep but he didn't.  This past Christmas, while visiting Uncle John and Aunt Kathie, Uncle John and I had a good laugh remembering the Harley drive.  Uncle John stepped in during those times when I was far away from my own father.  I will always miss him and he will always be part of my life.

Johnny it was my pleasure to be your cousin.  Our moms Alice and Tessie (as your family called my mom), with their hard work and crazy relations,  both made life fun for all of us.  Many great memories and lessons learned and most of all deep love, which I think we and all of the extended families learned the importance of and carried and  passed on to the next generations.      You were a great cousins always welcoming when we were young children and as we both grew old and were blessed to get together with our families in LA, Thousand Oaks,  Chatsworth and Atlanta.  I will never forget your jolly happy smile and the special greeting you gave to me always making me feel special every time we meet up at every age.  No matter what age,  you and Kathy always were as welcoming and caring making sure we knew that family always came first in your life.  Love, Irene

I will miss my Papa a lot.  He was always there to help me.  I loved when he cheered me on at all my sporting events.  I love you so much, Papa.

Loss of a family member is always painful, but the loss of John is especially so.  He will be missed by all who knew him for truly "to know him was to love him."  I was privileged to call him brother.

Every person should have an uncle who teaches him how to use the angles when shooting pool.  Every person should have an uncle who takes him to baseball and football games.  Every person should have an uncle who helps create memories.  Memories that will never die.  That is an uncle.  John McGinnis is my uncle.

I m so sorry I could not attend the funeral. John was a great guy. My boys and I were lucky to stay with John and  Kathie during the 1996 Olympics.  John took the time to take the boys around to various confederate war site and teach them some history. He was such a gentle soul. Im sorry we were not able to visit more. He will be missed. My deepest sympathy. John s first cousin

I am so sorry that John is no longer with us, and I'm sending lots of love, light, peace, strength and hope to Kathie, Kelley, Patrick (and spouses) and all the grandkids during this time of sadness. May your memories be as wonderful as John was bright and kind.

Uncle John will always have a place in our family's oral history. He is the only uncle George and Karen know. When we talk story, we will laugh and cry over his part in our tales...visits to Hawaii, New Year's Eve around the Christmas tree, educational visits to Southern battlefields. Aloha Nui Loa, John!

I'm really going to miss Papa.  He was really supportive of everything I do.  He always enjoyed taking pictures of all my activities so that he could remember those moment.  I loved my Papa very much.

John was my favorite father-in-law (wink to Kathie).  He lovingly accepted me as part of the family and loved his grandchildren.  We'll greatly miss him.

I love my papa and I wish he was here today so I could hug and kiss him.  He was really nice and fun.  I liked going to the Coca-Cola museum with him and the aquarium.  I will miss him so much.

Uncle John will always have a place in our family's oral history. He is the only uncle George and Karen know. When we talk story, we'll laugh and cry over his part in our tales...visits to Hawaii, New Year's eve around the Christmas tree, educational walks through Southern battlefields. Aloha Niu Loa, John!

John was the best brother-in-law I could have ever had. He was a loving husband and father. He was truly devoted to his entire extended family. I respected his many skills and professional accomplishments. I will miss him greatly.

Dear Kathie and family,
John was a special friend, a gentle,humble and a very smart man  and he will be missed deeply....we feel very blessed that we just saw him in January, we had them at our house for the weekend, it was a special time, life is very precious.
Lou's favorite memory of John is when they were in High School, Lou was a skinny kid with "Coke bottle" glasses and John was on the football team...
Some guys beat Lou up, John knew who they were, he told Lou's Dad Mr Tavares and they both went to the police station, the police got the guys and told them if something happens to Louis Tavares you will be arrested.
As they say, John has your back, and he did!!!
As Louie's wife, I very much enjoyed John, it was always a pleasure to talk with him, in January,I had a friend who's Son worked for Aero Jet and they wanted to know all about John and his career, I had to drag it out of him on sat. But wow so impressive his career was, not many people could fill his shoes, Kathie said " I wish  we lived closer to you, sadly that won't happen.... We pray we'll continue to see Kathie!!! God bless you Kathie and your family during this difficult time, you will never forget him but memories will help....Love youLou and Nancy

I love my papa and I will miss him a lot.

He was always there for me and helped me be who I am today. He was a super cool grandfather and I will miss him.

Grief can be so hard, but our special memories help us cope. Remembering you and your loved one today and always.

My father was a great man and a wonderful father.  He struggled endlessly to give me the best opportunity to be successful in life and devoting much of his scarce free time to spend with me.  As I became older, I couldn't ask for a better friend and confidante.  My bond with my father was as strong as could be.  We almost never disagreed on any topic and spent countless hours discussing anything and everything.  It if my greatest hope that I can have such a bond with my own son.  I will miss you always, Dad.

Very sorry on the the loss of your father Patrick. He was a great man and his memory will live on in you. I will never forget the time we all met for a beer at Rooneys telling stories.  My thoughts and prayers are with you. If you need anything, call me. Kevin

John was a great father in law and it was a privilege to have such a great man as a role model for my husband and children.  Michael and Kaylee loved their Papa dearly just as he loved them. We will all miss him a lot.
All our love forever.

During our more than 40 years of being friends and working on the Black Programs in the Skunk Works together, I have many fond memories of John. John carried over his personal convictions and high ethical standards to his work, and always did his best to get the job done right.  He was a very determined person, and was willing to argue to get his point across to you. Even though he was strong in many ways, he still was a caring and considerate person who took into account everyone's feelings. Complementing those attributes was John's great sense of humor, and he frequently relieved tense situations with his laughter.  At work, John would take on the complex challenging engineering problems; and, never being a quitter, he continued to work the problem until it was solved. Recognition of many of John's fine accomplishments was acknowledged by Lockheed-Martin when he was given the Inventor of the Year Award in 1997.
I am glad to have known John and to be one of his good friends for so many years, and truly appreciate the nice things he did do for me at work.   My only regret is I am sorry that we were only able to occasionally see each other during these last years of our lives.
Duane (and Virginia)Halpape

A great man who will be missed by everyone.
     Our prayers to the McGinnis family.

Big Brother John,  I thank for all you've done for me and my family. I especially thank for your arms when my husband died. Ilove you and will miss you always.

Enjoyed spending the weekend in Nashville last summer with John. He was a very kind and caring man. Jacob enjoyed their long talks! Our thoughts and prayers are with all the family.

Uncle John was a great mentor to both my dad and myself. He was always excited to share his knowledge about the world to me. He's been an incredible influence on my life, and I will miss him deeply.

John was known to our children as "Uncle John".  He always made me feel like part of the family.  We enjoyed many meals that he and Kathie prepared, having them over or meeting for dinner somewhere.  John was always so generous, kind and loving.  He and Kathie were great marriage mentors for Tom and I and he will be dearly missed.  Crystal.

I loved my dad dearly.  He was always so kind, loving, and supportive.  He loved keeping up with all of his grandchildren and taking pictures of all their sports and activities.  He loved us all so much.  We will miss him very much.  I love you always, dad.

John was my cousin-in-law.  He was always so kind and thoughtful.  I always thought he and Kathie were a very well matched pair; they were wonderful together.  I marveled at his knowledge base and always had interesting talks with him.  He was an awesome husband and father.  He will be greatly missed.  My heart is heavy and I am so sad.  I love you John.  You're with God and other family now.

OBITUARY

John E. McGinnis

28 May, 1944 – 24 March, 2016

Winkenhofer Pine Ridge Funeral Home and Memorial Park

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