Born on November 27, 1937 in a farmhouse in Arkansas City, Kansas to Robert and Mary McKinney, Phyllis married her teenaged sweetheart at the age of 17. He wouldn't be her only husband. She was married three times and maintained amicable relationships with them all.
A mother of five and a self described gypsy, Phyllis raised her children on the road, setting up countless residences throughout the midwest, the south, and finally, the west. She was an entrepreneur, business woman, bookkeeper, salesperson, blackjack dealer, among other things.
In 1979, she finally found her permanent home in Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA. There, she spent the next forty years as a colorful member of the community, bee bopping around town in her white Chrysler convertible, holding court with friends and family at her kitchen dining room table, dancing at Winston's and listening to music at Bob Oaks on Sunday afternoons. While her younger years may have been defined by wonderlust, once she set roots in OB, she would never leave.
Phyllis never lost her razor sharp wit. Her unfiltered commentary on daily events will be missed terribly by her friends and family. She is survived by her children and their spouses: Michael Kraus, LeaAnn Hartman (JD), Diane Jackson (Tom), David Horinek (Kaye) and Kerry Schnackenberg (John). She is also survived by 12 grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren.
The family will be celebrating her life with a memorial in San Diego at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Loaves & Fishes Ocean Beach, CA
