Mary Helen McKinney

The beautiful smile and humor of Helen McKinney will be warmly welcomed in heaven following her full and rich life. Mother, sister, grandmother, great grandmother, and great, great grandmother, Helen had a zest for life for 94 years and passed away Friday, October 24, 2025, peacefully, at home, surrounded by her loving family. Helen was born on August 9, 1931, to the late Thomas Walter Nipper and the late Aleph Kirkland Nipper.
Helen McKinney, a native of Coffee County, Georgia, graduated from Crawford Long Nursing School in Atlanta, Georgia, and was a registered nurse early in her life. She met Clarence (Buck) McKinney at a beach party in Englewood, Florida. She was swept off her feet by the handsome Army serviceman and was married for 67 years. She was devoted to her children and loved being a mother. She was a stellar elementary room mother, bringing great pride to her children. She was known for her genuine smile with an ever-present sparkle in her eyes. Her love of music, dancing ability, and sense of humor made her a hit at social engagements. She loved tropical birds, including her peacocks, strong coffee, fishing, crabbing, clamming, the ocean waves, and was a strong swimmer in her prime. Helen had an amazing green thumb and grew a grove of pecan trees, started in Delaware from nuts she gathered in her home state of Georgia. She grew heirloom fig trees from a shoot and collected peace lilies that she grew indoors. She was an accomplished card player, including Pinochle, Solitaire, Phase 10, and Canasta. She enjoyed quiet time writing letters to her Southern family and friends, playing Scrabble, crosswords, and word finds. She enjoyed reading and always encouraged her children to develop a love for reading. She loved people, community, traveling, and scenic country drives, all while surrounded by family. Helen had a sixth sense and could see angels, especially where her children were involved. She never gossiped or made an unkind comment about anyone. She deeply loved her sisters, brother, cousins, aunts, and uncles who helped raise her and supported her ambitions..
Helen and Buck traveled regularly to Georgia and Florida to visit and to care for her dear family and friends, whom she spoke about daily. There were many such wonderful moments on those long-distance trips. Imagine five children under the age of twelve up in a vintage camper's loft, a knot of limbs in perpetual motion, and the look of unrestrained happiness on Helen's face. She wholeheartedly embraced the glorious abandon that came with her trips 'down south'. Helen was always up for adventure. She traveled alone to Utah to visit Judy at college in 1978 and then to Hawaii with Buck to celebrate Tom's wedding, riding around Oahu on a motorcycle. Soon after traveling to Australia with Buck for a three-month trek, leaving the care of five children to her eldest son, Mac. During the same era, she traveled with Buck and their good friends Ernie and Jean Yarborough, via a motorhome, through Alaska. Later, traveling to California, by auto, to visit Ernie and Jean Yarborough, with Buck and Sonia. Helen also visited Toronto, Canada, with Buck and Tonia. Later, she and Buck traveled with Mac's family to the Rockies, including Yellowstone National Park and Washington State. During the trip, they made an unintended detour through an open gate into Canadian farm country. Upon re-entry into the U.S., they experienced a contraband search at the border station. Helen stated that "they were merely on a Sunday outing," sounding quite suspect, since they were traveling from Delaware. She was blessed with traveling with family to the Smokies, Alabama Gulf Shores, Punta Gorda, Florida, Douglas, Georgia, and Upstate New York. Her love of water and beaches never dimmed, and she was always thrilled to be near the waves along the East Coast. For the past seven years, she enjoyed the beaches in Ocean City each summer with Jo Ann and her family. Jo Ann also provided a special New Year's trip to New Orleans in 2025 with stops to visit family along the way.
Later in life, Helen enjoyed spending her day at Modern Maturity Center, where she attended the Front Porch program. She enjoyed every interaction with staff and friends at the program, especially the bus attendant and driver, who were exceptionally caring and patient. Helen had an exceptional life, being born at a time when horse-drawn carriages and telegraphs were commonplace, and electronic equipment such as radios and TVs were unthinkable concepts. She experienced and welcomed the change into today's world of jets, computers, cell phones, and AI. What a joyous time for an intensely curious and intelligent woman like Helen to be alive!
She is preceded in death by her husband, Clarence (Buck) McKinney Sr., two sons, Tom McKinney and Frank McKinney, grandsons Brian McKinney and Thomas (Tommy) McKinney Jr, her sister, Tommie Crosland and brother, George Hannah.
Survived by her sister Sue (Linnie Sue) Carter, Clarence (Mac) McKinney Jr. (Doris), Judy McKinney Cherry (Phil), Jo Ann Norquest (Chris), Jerry McKinney, James McKinney, Sonia McKinney Cady (Roland), and Tonia Simmons. Helen leaves behind 29 grandchildren: Jason McKinney, Chris McKinney, Joshua McKinney, Cassandra McKinney, Jessie McKinney, Darlene McKinney, Anthony McKinney, Miranda McKinney, Marin Cherry Magrino, William Cherry, Dr. Steven Cherry, Erik McKinney, Kevin McKinney, Bonnie Rae (Bae) McKinney, Franklin McKinney Jr., Harley Norquest, Jerrica Norquest, Kenny Norquest, Cameron McKinney, Kyrna (Roman) Norquest, Patrick McKinney, Samantha McKinney, Chris Herman, Daniel Herman, Serenity Cady, Dylan Cady, Arianna Simmons, and Benjamin Simmons. Her prolific family also includes 16 great-grandchildren with Blaze McKinney, Naomi McKinney, Jennifer McKinney, Mykayla McKinney, Sora McKinney, Gabriel McKinney, Alexander McKinney, Charles McKinney, Mariah McKinney, Anthony Caple-McKinney, Kelly McKinney, Thea Magrino, Maia Magrino, Ryan McKinney, Zach McKinney, and Freya Norquest. Remarkably, she is survived as well by one great, great-granddaughter, Halley Robinson.
The memorial service will be on November 3, 2025, at the Torbert Funeral Home, address: 1145 E Lebanon Rd Dover, DE 19901.
Calling hours begin at 11:00 am, and services at 12:00 pm.
In lieu of Flowers, please make donations to Modern Maturity Center's Front Porch program, Delaware Hospice, or Meals on Wheels.