Christopher Michael McKinley

Christopher’s parents are Robert and Soraya McKinley. As a military family, he was born at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, lived in Germany for three years, Lima, Peru for two years, and for four years in Bogota, Colombia. After his father’s retirement from the US Army, Christopher attended Thompson Intermediate School and Thompson Middle School in Alabaster, Alabama. He graduated from Columbia High School in Huntsville, Alabama and then attended and graduated from the University of Alabama on a US Army scholarship with a degree in Management Information Systems.

In 2019, Christopher entered active duty with the US Army. Following a short period of training for Airborne and Infantry at Ft. Benning, Georgia, he was assigned to Ft. Bliss, Texas. While stationed at Ft. Bliss, his unit deployed to South Korea for nine months, where he served at Camp Humphries. After Korea, his unit did a rotation at the National Training Center, in Death Valley, California. During his time at Ft. Bliss, Christopher met his future wife, Emily, an experienced insurance claims adjuster and fraud investigator. He proposed to Emily on the beach in Malibu, California in May 2024.

Christopher and Emily married in Gretna Green, Scotland, United Kingdom in December 2024. They lived in Columbus, Georgia and Augusta, Georgia while he was completing his signal corps training. During this period, Christopher earned his Security + certificate and various other qualifications as a computer network engineer. After completing his signal corps training, Christopher was assigned to the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to support the CENTCOM area of responsibility and he was posted to DISA, Bahrain in June 2025.

Christopher had a very friendly and outgoing personality with a vibrant laugh which could be heard on many occasions. He loved and was devoted to his wife Emily; they were brought together by their shared admiration for music. Christopher was the biggest fan of the music she creates. He loved to travel and explore the world, try new foods, and embrace different cultures. Christopher enjoyed drawing, playing video games, running, and lifting weights. His favorite hobby was watching sports car events, basically anything related to fast cars. Christopher could identify the make and model of any sports car by merely seeing the wheel rims. He also had a tremendous love for animals, especially the family dog, Juliet. Christopher appreciated being out in nature, being amongst the mountains and the clouds; this was his happy place.

Christopher’s awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korea Defense Service Medal, and the Overseas Service Ribbon. His decorations also include the Army Parachutist Badge.

Christopher was preceded in death by his grandmother, Paula Hester. He is survived by his wife, Emily Anne McKinley; parents, Robert and Soraya McKinley; sister, Christina McKinley; grandparents, Robert and Donna McKinley, Wiley Hester, Marina Hernandez; and his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Sarah and Mike Bilsborough of the United Kingdom.

Visitation will be held at Rockco Funeral Home (Montevallo), 3715 Highway 25, Montevallo, Alabama 35115, on Friday, June 5, 2026, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, followed by a Celebration of Life at the same location at 11:00 am.

A Committal Service will take place at Alabama National Cemetery, Montevallo, Alabama 35115, on June 5, 2026, at 12:30 pm followed by a reception at Rockco Funeral Home (Montevallo).