John Eugene McKinney

John Eugene (Jack) McKinney passed away at home on January 5, 2022. His last day included visits with all four of his children and two bowls of his favorite chocolate-vanilla twist, soft-serve ice cream.

Born in Lincoln on August 17, 1928, to Ora Earl and Mamie Rose (Kitchen) McKinney, Jack was the fourth and youngest child in the family. He lost his oldest brother, Lawrence, in 1932 and his mother in 1933, three months before his fifth birthday. Jack, his brother Art and sister Betty lived with their maternal grandmother, Lillian Garrison, for several years before their father remarried.

From an early age, Jack worked hard to support himself. He started shingling roofs for 25 cents/hour at the age of 14 and left high school early, telling his teachers that if he didn’t work, he didn’t eat. At the age of 28 he started his own business, McKinney Construction Company. Over the next 20 years he became a well-known and respected businessman, completing multiple projects for organizations like the Nebraska National Guard, Peru State Teachers College and Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph. His most iconic project is the massive, green microwave tower in downtown Lincoln which, next to the State Capitol, is the most distinctive feature of the Lincoln Skyline. In 1978 he purchased Havelock Refuse and for the next two decades delighted the children along his route with garbage trucks featuring Oscar the Grouch painted on the side.

His business partner throughout all those years was his wife, Jean (Folkerts) McKinney. Jack ran the operations and Jean kept the books, while raising four children. Even after divorcing in 1976, the two continued to work together and maintained almost daily communication until Jean’s death in 2016.

While Jack worked hard all his life, he also played hard. Jack burst onto the Lincoln sports scene in January 1948, at the age of 19, when he won the City’s Men’s Scratch bowling title. His name became a regular feature in the paper over the next 25 years as he and his teammates took home title after title on the local and state level. When a bad back forced him to put down the bowling ball, he picked up a pair of horseshoes. He transferred his smooth bowling release to his new sport and enjoyed many years of competitive and recreational pitching. His love for the sport prompted him to install six regulation courts on his property at 510 Washington, and to build a new structure to house two indoor, all-weather, courts. Throwers from around the country traveled to Lincoln to pitch in the annual Old Style Invitational Tournament that Jack hosted at his facility. In addition to sports, Jack loved music, especially big band, jazz, and the blues. His favorite artist was Frank Sinatra, evidenced by his distinctive ringtone of Frank singing “Summer Winds”.

Through it all Jack made lifelong friends. His tough and demanding exterior protected an incredibly generous and caring heart. A savvy investor and avid collector, he was driven to leave a legacy for his children, while at the same time helping anyone who came to him in need.

Jack is preceded in death by his parents Ora and Mamie, his brothers Lawrence and Arthur, sister Betty Rush, his wife of 20 years, Jean McKinney, his companion in later years, Carol Gray, and more stray cats that he loved and cared for than we can count. He is survived by his son, John (Melanie) McKinney of Rising City, daughter, Jan (Ralph) Lewis of Overland Park, Kansas, and daughters Julie Carter and Joy McKinney of Lincoln. He leaves behind 14 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

The family would like to express their gratitude to staff and residents at the Knolls Senior Living community for embracing Dad and accompanying him during these last few months of his life. Special thanks to the care team at HoriSon Hospice for making it possible for Dad to pass peacefully at home. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Capital Humane Society, the Capital Jazz Society, or a donation in Jack’s name to Southeast Community College’s Building Construction Technology program.

A short memorial service and interment will be held at 2:00pm on Friday, January 21, 2022, at the Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home and Cemetery, 6800 S. 14th Street, Lincoln, NE. Since Jack never did anything small, we will end the day with a Celebration of Life (AKA old-fashioned Irish Wake) from 5pm - 8pm at Misty’s Steak House, 6235 Havelock Ave, Lincoln, NE., where we hope to laugh, cry and share stories with all of his many friends

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