Bob was born in Kennewick, WA, August 12, 1947. As a youth he moved to the Vegas valley where he spent the majority of his life as a resident of Henderson. He married Diane Tobler March 17, 1965 in St. George, UT. Together they raised three children, Robert Lynn, Michael Wayne, and Katrina Grace.
Hard work was something he was accustomed to and never shied away from. He worked as a cook before he became an apprentice in the carpenters union. He was an amazing cook and made the best omelette on the planet! As a journeyman carpenter, he worked on many jobs in various locations. He spent a dozen years in Tonopah working at the test site. During this time he and Diane built a little oasis 30 miles outside of town with a variety of animals and fields of alfalfa. He was a builder of many things-and that small farm was a testament to what he was capable of. He never did anything half-hearted. It was all or nothing…go big or go home!
Bob was passionate about many things. He always had a project (or a dozen) rebuilding something. He could often be found tinkering in his shop or scouting out the local neighborhoods for old cars or boats to be fixed up. However, there was no place he would rather be than on the lake or on a mountain somewhere. His zeal for hunting and fishing was unparalleled. He hunted, fished, and trapped all over the western states; everything from antelope to weasels. (A to almost Z)
Bob was predeceased by his parents, Manford R. McKinnis and Melva I. Goin, his wife Diane Tobler, and his son Michael Wayne McKinnis. He is survived by his five siblings, Barbara, Manford, Warren, Beverly, and Ronnie, his two children, Robert Lynn McKinnis, and daughter Katrina (Tina) Eldridge, his seven grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.
