George Lewis McKinney

1929 - 2021

George Lewis McKinney
July 14, 1929 - June 5, 2021
Bellingham, Washington - George Lewis McKinney passed away on June 5, 2021 at the age of 91. He was born on July 14, 1929 to parents Joseph R. McKinney and Anna Alice Hanes in Bronaugh, MO. The youngest of four children, George grew up in Nevada, Missouri until he graduated from Walker High School in Walker, Missouri and later joined the Navy.
George served in the U.S. Navy from 1950 to 1954 during the Korean War, classified as Fireman, and worked on diesel engines as a mechanic. While in the Navy, George met Mildred V. Ballew who became his wife and later the mother of his four children.
Following his honorable discharge from the Navy, George worked in many places that utilized his expertise as a diesel mechanic. He started in San Francisco working on fishing boats, then in Oregon working on diesel tractors, then to the copper mines of Arizona working on locomotives. He then moved to Hawaii and began his work on ships in Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and later retired as a General Foreman. After retiring, he and Mildred moved to Fairfield, CA where they lived for 20 years until moving to Bellingham, WA in 2018.
In his free time, George enjoyed hunting, working on cars, and anything mechanical. He loved cooking for the Food Ministry at the Shiloh Church in Oakland, where he was a member. It was a very fulfilling endeavor. George had a very dry sense of humor, quick wit, and sly smile. Those who had the privilege of getting to know him loved him.
George was preceded in death by his father, mother, three brothers and one sister. He is survived by his wife Mildred, daughter Latricia Sargent (Colorado), sons Theodore McKinney (Bellingham), Blythe McKinney (Oregon), and Mark McKinney (Hawaii), six grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on Tues. Sept. 7, 2021 at the Shiloh Church in Oakland, CA. Interment services will follow on Wed. Sept. 8, 2021 at 2:00 P.M. with military honors at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, CA.
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