Louise Walker Kinney

January 7, 1925 – May 4, 2021

Louise Walker Kinney passed away peacefully at St. James Place in Baton Rouge on May 4, 2021, after a long and productive life of faith, service, and duty. She was 96. She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 59 years, Kenneth Lee Kinney, a sister Felice Walker Stroux, and brother David Walker. She is survived by four children: Wesley (Patricia) of Bozeman, Montana; Leila Kinney (Paul Summit) of West Newton, Massachusetts, Brian (Pearl Zhou) of Culver City, California, and Melane Kinney Hoffmann (Tom) of Clarksburg, Maryland, in addition to twelve grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

She was born in Cleveland Ohio, was a graduate of Findlay High School, in Findlay, Ohio, and also lived in nearby Mansfield. As a young girl she loved to dance, and appeared with high school dance groups and theater productions. She earned a degree in business from Ohio State University in 1944. She met Ken while he was stationed at a nearby Army Air Force Base during World War II, where he trained pilots. She was tapped to “cold call” and congratulate him on being promoted to Second Lieutenant. They immediately began a courtship and were married on January 23, 1945. They moved to Baton Rouge following their wedding in Ohio so that Ken could attend LSU engineering school, and made it their permanent home. With the exception of two years (1957 to 1959) in Bordeaux, France, where Ken was managing the construction of a new oil refinery for Standard Oil (now Exxon), they lived in Baton Rouge their entire married life.

Louise loved to travel. She and Ken visited more than 35 countries including Chile, Peru, most of eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand. As an article about their travels written in 2005 said, “Whether taking a weeklong barge trip in France or standing in the shadow of a volcanic mountain in Argentina, the Kinneys savor every minute.” Soon after Ken’s retirement from Exxon, Louise’s travel bug led the adventurers to rent a cottage in the English village of Batcombe for a year, where they fully settled into the local life. They made friends everywhere they went and stayed in touch for years afterward.

She was an engaged and active participant in the Baton Rouge community, and took leadership roles in many organizations. A member of First Presbyterian Church for more than 70 years, she served as a Deacon, Elder, and was active in the church’s Women’s Circle. She served on the board of UpLIFTD (formerly Louisiana Industries for the Disabled) and was especially engaged in WCRC, the Women’s Community Rehabilitation Center. She was a longtime member of P.E.O. (Philanthropic Education Organization), a women’s education advocacy nonprofit, and the Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority. She volunteered at the Gardere Community Christian School for many years, reading to young children. In her years as a young mother, she volunteered at LaSalle elementary as a French teacher and a Great Books leader.

Louise and Ken were generous philanthropists, and especially devoted themselves to supporting local performing arts. At LSU, they established professorships in opera and in the Department of Theater, as well as student scholarships in engineering, music, and opera studies. An avid opera fan, Louise was a longtime supporter of Opéra Louisianne and the Baton Rouge Opera Guild.

Louise had many talents, skills, and interests. She was an accomplished seamstress, did exquisite needlework, and was a natural at cooking, embracing south Louisiana’s cuisine with her own personal adaptations.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, June 4, 2021 at First Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge, LA, from 2pm until 3pm with the service beginning at 3pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent in her honor to the Baton Rouge Opera Guild, the Louise W. Kinney Endowed Award in Opera Studies at LSU www.lsufoundation.org\kinney, Opéra Louisianne, or UpLIFTD..