Roy Martin Kinnamon

Baby Boy Kinnamon, who was born on August 29,1941, officially became Roy Martin Kinnamon in the summer of 2003. Until then he was Baby Boy because he was born in a taxi on the way to the hospital after Mrs. Johnsie (his mom) was stung by a yellow jacket. As he was on the go at birth so he was as a person. Roy never stopped. From early childhood in Winston Salem to Charlotte he was outside working. Working not only for his dad but also neighbors. At North Meck High he drove a bus as a teenager and then moved onto the docks at Overnite Transportation. He worked his way up over the years to purchasing agent and retired only to move to Strapex, as purchasing agent, to earn a second retirement. Gardening was one of his passions. He spent endless hours in his own garden. It was a beauty with berries, fruit trees, and a grape arbor. His vegetables were shared with everyone including a church he never attended but gave his harvest to share with the needy. He spent years with a gleaning group and transported veggies and strawberries over the Piedmont area. He loved to cook and insisted on cooking breakfast every morning for the family when the children were in school. He spent hours canning his own recipe of vegetable soup and we never ran out of green beans. He shared his love for cooking at the Mallard Creek ball fields making chilli and slaw for the concession stand and manning the booth for years. He later spent each Wednesday at University City United Methodist Church preparing congregational meals until the program was ended. Travel was dear to his heart, particularly cruising. He went on no less than twenty cruises including Alaska, Norway, the Mediterranean, Hawaii, and most often the Caribbean. He traveled the US particularly loving the Grand Canyon, Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Panama City Beach, and of course Myrtle Beach were his "go to" places, loving to walk the streets but most specifically to eat at the local restaurants. His family was precious to him. He saw to it that each of the five kids attended college with four being there at one time for a period of time. He was so proud of all of their pursuits and successes and was caught bragging occasionally. His grandchildren have been held dear to his heart, and he has been involved with their lives as much as possible. He has always had a strong relationship with God. He was very active in organizing Derita Presbyterian Church, volunteering in various ways at University City United Methodist, and finally making Mallard Creek Presbyterian his home. He has been so blessed by this congregation and felt their inspiring love. Roy was the son of Charles and Johnsie Kinnamon. His brother and pal, James predeceased him and his sister Ruth Denham lives in Kannapolis while his brother John, wife Gail, and nephews, Mike and Jim live in Corpus Christi, Texas. His precious blended family includes Lori Murray (Kannapolis) husband, Roger; Martin Kinnamon (Charlotte) wife, Lisabeth; Shannon Peek Crane (Charlotte); Hope Peek (Charlotte), partner Todd George; and Ashley Fisher (Charlotte), husband, Andy. The most special grandchildren include: Liam Murray (Kannapolis), Will Kinnamon (Arlington, Va), Maggie Murray (Kannapolis), Logan Crane (Charlotte), Amelia Fisher (Charlotte), Margaret Crane (Charlotte), Eli Fisher (Charlotte), Cooper George (Huntersville) and Lucinda George (Huntersville). Our special gratitude and love go to the special nurses Pamela McNeill and Nicole Taylor who have been our champions through this journey. We also include in our heartfelt thanks our Hospice caregivers led by our much-adored Kristin Hillman. We want to include our appreciation to nephrologist and friend, Dr. Paul Blake, who took to watching the Braves because he knew Roy loved them. Should you wish to memorialize Roy in some way, he was a strong advocate for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. https://www.stjude.org/ Friends are welcome to stop by our home to share time with the family. Plans are in process. James Funeral Home is assisting the family, online condolences may be made at https://www.jamesfuneralhomelkn.com.