McKinney, Ronald W. (1937 – 2013)

MCKINNEY, MACHACEK, COSTELLO, GRABOWSKI

Posted By: Denise Wurner (email)
Date: 8/26/2013 at 18:46:15

Name of deceased: Ronald Wallace McKinney

Aged: 76 yrs, 8 mo, 9 days

Residence: Bemidji, MN

Born: with twin brother, Dec. 1, 1937, in Beatrice, NE

Died: Aug. 9, 2013, Bemidji, MN

Funeral services: Tuesday, August 13, 2013, New Salem Lutheran Church, Turtle River, MN; Rev. Karol McCracken officiated. His ashes to be interred at a later date.

Survived by: Wife, Sara; children, Mark (spouse, Janel) McKinney of Underwood, IA; Todd (spouse, Tammy) McKinney of Persia, IA; Shannon (spouse, Mark) Machacek of Westmont, IL; and Matthew (spouse, Michele) McKinney of Chanhassen, MN; grandchildren, Katie, Derek, Mitchel, Sean, Morgan, Mati, Nicholas, Anna, William, and Ryder; great-grandchildren: Emma, Donovan, and Cory; twin brother, Donald (spouse, Sherrill) McKinney of Lincoln, NE, and younger brother, Patrick (spouse, Gaye) McKinney of Charlotte, NC; mother-in-law, Elaine Costello; brother-in-law, Richard (spouse, Catherine) Costello; sister-in-law, Susan Costello, all of Randolph, IA; many nieces; nephews; other relatives, numerous friends

Predeceased by: Parents, Wallace and Anita (nee Grabowski) McKinney; infant son, Shawn.

Education: attended St. Joseph Catholic School and graduated from Beatrice (NE) High School, Class of 1955. Ron studied at Peru State College in Peru, NE, and graduated from Nebraska State Teacher’s College in Kearney, NE, in 1962. His Masters and Specialist Degrees were earned at Iowa State University.

Religious affiliation: no information provided

Military service: n/a

Marriages: (1) Patricia Woodward; 1960; Grand Island, NE (2) Sara Lynne Costello; July 18, 1970; Randolph, IA

Employment: He taught chemistry and science in Barneston, and Odell, NE. In 1966, Ron and his sons moved to Harlan, IA, where for the next 35 years he taught industrial and vocational arts at Harlan community High School and Middle School. He helped establish the Trades and Industries program and placed hundreds of seniors in jobs in Harlan and other local communities. He retired from teaching in 1997.

After his second marriage in 1970, and during their summer vacations from teaching, Ron, Sara, and kids seasonally moved to Bemidji, MN, where they built their home on the shores of Turtle River Lake. In the summer of 1987, they purchased “Our Place Your Place” drive-in restaurant in Nymore, MN, which they operated seasonally for many years. After Sara’s retirement from teaching in 2002, they permanently moved to Bemidji and spent seven years traveling across northern Minnesota, establishing their sales territory for Books Are Fun and making many new friends.

Hobbies/Interests: Ron loved the outdoors. He spent untold hours with his Dad, brothers, sons, and friends hunting the fields of northeast Iowa where quail, turkey, pheasant, and deer would find themselves in jeopardy. Fishing was another passion, and he especially enjoyed trading tales with other fisherman and imparting wisdom to all who would listen. His family meant the world to him, and Ron loved the times when children and grandchildren would gather at his lake home. He knew the best spot in the world was Turtle River Lake and each season of the year held joy for him. His other hobbies were carpentry, furniture making, water color painting, and Nebraska Cornhusker football. He and Sara traveled extensively, visiting twenty foreign countries. In July they celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary on a Baltic Sea cruise.

Sources: ceasefuneralhome.com, ancestry.com