OBIT: Mr. Dave McKinney Of Lebanon
A retired Lebanon businessman and Smith County native has died at the age of 95.
Mr. Dave McKinney of Lebanon died at 11:38 p.m. Tuesday evening October 10, 2017 at Quality Care in Lebanon following an extended illness.
Funeral services from the Ligon and Bobo Funeral Home were conducted Friday afternoon October 13th. Mr. McKinney’s longtime pastor Rev. Donald Owens and Mr. McKinney’s grandson Pastor Evan Owens officiated. Following the 2 p.m. funeral services burial was in the Wilson County Memorial Gardens.
Born David Earl McKinney in the Flat Rock Community on August 7, 1922, he was the last surviving of six children of the late Nat McKinney Sr. who died at the age of 49 on August 13, 1942 and Bessie Laurine McCall McKinney who died at the age of 79 on June 15, 1977.
His five siblings preceding him in death were Southern Baptist pastor Nat McKinney Jr. who died at the age of 74 on April 8, 1993, Albert Millard “Bud” McKinney who died at the age of 84 on January 2, 2006, Bessie Genevive McKinney who died at the age of 71 on October 21, 1995, Icie Lee McKinney Coker who died at the age of 88 on December 7, 2014 and Sam Barnett McKinney who died at the age of 68 on May 11, 1998.
Mr. McKinney was a 1940 graduate of Carthage High School where his nickname was “Crockett” and his major was in Agriculture There he was on the debate team in ’38, ‘39’ and ’40, played basketball his junior and senior years and his senior year was a member of the Hi-Y Club, which was a literary society.
He began college at Cumberland College in the fall of 1940, while being employed at the former Lea Cleaners in Lebanon, a business he would later come to own.
He met the love of his life, Katherine Reed of Wilson County while attending college. He volunteered for the military service in 1943 and on April 2, 1943 was united in marriage to Miss Reed, just three weeks before leaving for his military service.
Mr. McKinney served as a medic with the United States Army during World War II in New Guinea.
Upon his completion of service to our country, he began what would be a life-long passion in the laundry and dry cleaning profession.
He continued on to graduate from the National Institute of Dry Cleaning in Silver Springs, Maryland.
Mr. McKinney was employed at various dry cleaning and laundry establishments as a manager until in 1962 he purchased the Lea Cleaners where he had worked some twenty two years earlier.
In 1964 he founded the Sparkle Laundry and would eventually own six dry cleaning establishments which he would combine into the Sparkle Laundry.
A civic minded Lebanon citizen and businessman, Mr. McKinney served as Governor of the Valley District of Civitan International in 1977-78, President of the Lebanon Club, and many other offices and capacities in the state organization during his lifetime.
He was a devout Christian and like most of his family was a Baptist. He served as a Deacon and trustee for many years at the Immanuel Baptist Church in Lebanon. He also taught for many years the Amen Sunday School Class at his beloved Immanuel Baptist.
Mr. McKinney and his wife loved to travel, having visited Europe, Hawaii, Mexico and most of the states.
Above all else he was totally devoted and loved his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Surviving in addition to his wife Katherine of seventy four years are their four children,
Mary McKinney Owens and husband David, David Reed McKinney, Dr. Roger McKinney, Carl Ray McKinney and wife Barbara; seven grandchildren, Jennifer McKinney Hashimura & husband Kaz, Matthew David McKinney and wife April, Joshua Medlin McKinney, Gabriel Isaac McKinney and wife Jennifer, Joel David Owens and wife Erin, Evan Ray Owens and wife Megan and Sarah Kate McKinney; eleven great-grandchildren, Emilyn and Erika Hashimura, Annabella, Jacob, Ian, Liam and Aidan McKinney, Colbie and Rett Owens, Logan and Caroline McKinney.
Mr. McKinney’s theory was a “A life well lived, is a life Well lived”
LIGON & BOBO of LEBANON
