Obituary of William McKinney

William (Bill) Schneider McKinney June 19, 1924 - March 12, 2011. Devoted husband, brother, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, he is survived by his wife of 65 years, Betty; sister, Mary Kay; daughters, Ann McKasson and Jeanne McKinney; grandchildren, Jennifer, Christine and Dustin; and great-grandsons, Koa and Davis. Bill was well-known and loved, no matter where he was, how long he'd been there, or how well he knew the people there with him. He put people at ease instantly, cracking jokes until everyone in the room was laughing and smiling. It didn't matter whether he was sitting in an emergency room with a broken nose (true story) or holding a microphone giving a class on defensive driving for AARP, his bright eyes, easy smile and engaging demeanor invited even the most withdrawn to talk and open up to him, and then to a larger group. His greatest passion in life was teaching, and that is where he directed his volunteer energy. He taught insurance classes at Santa Ana College, and later devoted substantial amounts of time to teaching defensive driving courses for the AARP. He made sure the McKinney home was always welcoming, full of laughter and a place everyone felt comfortable. He leaves behind many, many stories and memories that will be shared for years and generations to come. Bill served as a corpsman in the Pacific Theater of WWII as a nurse on a hospital ship. When he got home from the war, he married Betty, his high school sweetheart. After college on the GI Bill, he spent many years with The Coleman Company as an air conditioning engineer before he moved into selling insurance for the Knights of Columbus. When he retired in 1988, he had his own general agency covering all of Orange and Los Angeles Counties in California. Devoutly Catholic his entire life, Bill was a fourth-degree Knight of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Order in the Catholic Church. He was an active member of his local Catholic parish wherever he lived, participating not only in Knights of Columbus activities but also the yearly festival, men's group and others. For two years following retirement, Bill, Betty and their cat toured North America in their RV, making friends, creating communities and spreading joy everywhere they stayed. Bill went around to all the other RVs in the campground inviting each family to join them that evening for a meet-up. "Just bring a drink and a chair," he would say. "I don't drink," they might say. To that, his response was "You don't drink water?" He always left a community healthier than he found it. After they gave up the fulltime RV life, Bill and Betty settled in Hemet, California, until 2007, when he and Betty moved to Vancouver, Washington, and then Washougal, Washington. His last home was with his wife and two daughters in a home they all shared. He passed there, surrounded by family and showered with love. A Funeral Mass for Bill is pending. Vault interment will be held at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, a foundation that supports research into Multiple Sclerosis as well as helping those who have MS live fuller lives. Brown's Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Camas has been entrusted with arrangements.