Jeanne Ellyn McKinnon

Our beloved mother, Jeanne Ellyn McKinnon, born April 25, 1944 in Chicago, went home to Heaven on June 2, 2023 (79 years old). She is reunited with her parents, Stanley and Lucille Anderson.
Grieving are her two daughters, Kelli Forbes (Kelli's husband, Steve, and three children, Sarah, Casey, and Kevin) and Kristi McKinnon-Oleksy (Kristi's husband, James, and son Lukas); sister to Richard Anderson (Donna), Chris Anderson (Diane) and Jan Anderson-Buczek (Dan); as well as several cousins, nieces and nephews, their families, and her friends.
Jeanne was a creative soul, who poured her heart into everything she did. She was an award-winning artist, and her passion is hanging in everyone's homes that she loved so dearly. She loved arts and crafts and scrapbooking with her grandchildren. Jeanne was an accomplished professional floral designer, in the beginning with Amilings, and then eventually her own business. She designed for celebrities visiting town, her church every holiday, and her family and friends benefited from her talent at their weddings and parties.
Jeanne persevered to make a better life for her and her two daughters by putting herself through William Rainey Harper College to become certified as an Operating Room Technician. Not an easy feat while working full time and mothering two not-quite-teenage girls. She was so proud of the work she did assisting doctors in surgery. It was her purpose in life to help others and her success was built on a foundation of compassion and love. She worked for Northwest Community Hospital for 20+ years gaining a reputation for loyalty and expertise in her job. She was asked later into her career to become a private OT for Dr. Josh Tunca, in gynecological oncology. There, she began her journey into really getting to know her patients. Helping them to survive cancer, as well transition to their higher plain. Her compassion and love for her job and the women she helped thru the roughest of times, would prove her greatest strength, when she herself was diagnosed with stage 4 uterine cancer. The very same disease she helped so many others during the fight of their lives, was ironically her call to Heaven. She fought the good fight for 11 months, always with great dignity, grace, and faith. She left us peacefully, at home with Kristi and her family, in the early hours of June 2, 2023.
Her greatest joy in her life were her "girls" Kelli and Kristi, and her beautiful grandchildren, Sarah, Casey, Kevin, and Lukas. We were her everything, and there was not a day in our lives that we were not loved, because of her. Mom lived by faith in God and believed that she came before to make her family's path safe (something she for sure accomplished) and that she was just moving on now to do the same, until we meet again. Mom, we know you will be waiting for us. Until then we will remember you, carry you in our hearts and love you for the rest of our days.
A celebration of Jeanne Ellyn McKinnon's beautiful life will be held at Christian Life Church, 400 East Gregory Street, Mt. Prospect, Illinois 60056 at 3:00pm on June 23, 2023. We encourage all of her family and friends to come and celebrate with us our amazing Mom.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the incredible team of care givers at Enhabit Hospice at https://encompasscares.org/ This organization and their care teams are angels on this Earth.