Obituary of Winifred E. McKinney

Winifred E. McKinney, 83, of Cortland NY passed away peacefully May 15th, 2012 in Cortland. Winnie was born September 13th, 1928 in Edinburgh, Scotland, daughter of George and Helen (Duncan) Maxim. Winnie lived in Scotland until 1951 when she came to America on the Queen Mary to marry her fiancÃĩ, George McKinney that had come over earlier. Winnie and George raised 4 children together in upstate NY. Winnie had worked as a telephone operator, a bookkeeper at Criscraft and Wilcox Tire for many years. Winnie's main mission in her life was to take care of her family. She was a teacher, a mentor, a protector and a best friend to her husband and children. Her life revolved around all of us... almost to a fault. If you are reading this, you probably already know that about her. She was a devoted friend to her neighbors, that she loved her like family. Winnie was a kind, giving, devoted friend to everyone she came in contact with. In her later years, she read books, did crossword puzzles, watched TV and loved to listen to her bagpipe cd's. If she knew you were coming, she would cook your favorite dish. We had "family night" every week where everyone would take turns cooking. Winnie loved having everyone together, and it was an especially big deal to have the "out of town" family come so that everyone would be together. Winnie is survived by her children, Helen McKinney Rodemeyer (Mike), Mike McKinney, Alan McKinney (Kristen) and daughter-in-law Linda McKinney. She has 9 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren, with one on the way. She is also survived by her loyal canine companion "Max." She is predeceased by her loving husband, George McKinney, and son, Ross McKinney. Calling hours are at Wright Beard Funeral Home , 9 Lincoln Ave, Cortland between 5pm and 7pm Friday. Funeral service to be held on Saturday, May 19 will be at 2:30 pm at the First Presbyterian Church.