Mary W. McKinney

Mary was a Dean of Women at Muskingum College in Ohio and Alma College in Michigan. She took a leave of absence in 1950-51 and moved to Yakima to work as Young Adult Activities Director at the Yakima YWCA. It is here she fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and vowed to return someday and make it her home. She returned to Illinois where she spent 20 summers as camp counselor at Barrington High School and Adalai Stevenson High School in suburban Chicago, taking a leave of absence in 1965-66 to teach for the Department of Defense School in Seoul, Korea. She retired from Illinois schools in 1977 and immediately moved to Cliffdell where she lived for more than 30 years. She quickly became an active part of the Cliffdell-Nile Valley communities. As part-time hostess at Whistlin’ Jacks she made many more friends in the community. She also taught swimming for several summers to young children in the area, using the pool at Squaw Rock. She was an enthusiastic skier, choosing cross-country trails in the surrounding areas. She once vowed she would keep on skiing out her back door, even if she had to do it in a rocking chair. In later years she exchanged (reluctantly) the winter snows for the Hawaiian sun where she lived each winter with her sister, Graceleanor.

Mary is survived by her only sister, Graceleanor McKinney Baird, Kalaheo, HI; sister-in-law, Ruth (John) McKinney; nieces and nephews, Merikay Harper, William Bearden, Chris Baird, Cathy Baird, and Cyndi (Baird) Ceballos. She is also survived by 12 grand nephews and nieces. Because of her delightful ways with children of all ages, she became “Aunt Mary” to children both in Illinois and the Nile Valley.

She was preceded in death by both parents, Grace Keiser McKinney and Jesse A. McKinney; two older brothers, John McKinney, Stanley McKinney (infant), a younger sister, Betty Bearden, nephew, William Bearden; niece, Kerry McKinney Shannon and beloved brother-in-law, Lyle Baird.

The family is especially grateful to the responders through the Life Alert program as well as the several friends and neighbors who have assisted us in this time of our loss.

Memorial services will be held at 11:30 a.m., Sunday, August 7, 2011 at the Naches Presbyterian Church, Naches.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mary’s name to the Naches Presbyterian Church, in care of Langevin-Mussetter Funeral Home, 1010 W. Yakima Ave. Yakima, WA 98902.

Arrangements under the direction of Langevin-Mussetter Funeral Home, Yakima, WA.