Warren McKinney Obituary

Durango resident Warren Lee McKinney died of kidney failure at his home Saturday, May 30, 2009. He was 72.

Mr. McKinney was born in Bakersfield, Calif., on Sept. 11, 1936. He grew up in the mountains of California, where he learned to love the West, adventure and nature. He began his education in a one-room schoolhouse in Glenville, Calif.

After graduation from Bakersfield High School, he entered the Air Force and served his country in the Korean War. There he began his lifelong love of aviation, which he shared with his cousin Ken Clark.

After his military service, Mr. McKinney earned a degree in engineering from Bakersfield City College. He began a career in the oil industry that took him and his family to exotic locales such as Libya, Peru and Pakistan. In the early days, he worked in the oil fields. He was a materials manager when he retired.

On July 1, 1991, he married Susan Keller in Durango.

In 1994, he fulfilled his dream to retire in the mountains of Southwest Colorado.

"He had a charming smile, a great sense of humor and made friends easily," his family wrote. "He was a good listener and a great storyteller - the kind of guy you would love to sit and have a beer with. He could build anything, fix anything, and do anything."

Mr. McKinney was always willing to help a friend, they said.

"As a lover of animals, he cheerfully helped tend to the menagerie of rescue pets that he and his wife took in," his family wrote.

Mr. McKinney is survived by his wife of almost 18 years, Susan McKinney of Durango; daughters Michelle Swan of Squaw Valley, Calif., and Lynn McKinney of Mesa, Ariz.; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Cremation has occurred. A private family service will be held at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made to the La Plata County Humane Society, P.O. Box 2164, Durango, CO 81302; Annie's Orphans, 1630 County Road 214, Durango, CO 81303; or the animal-rescue organization of one's choice.