Florence Edith McKinney

“It’s my honor, my privilege, and my blessing to love my grandchildren… I don’t care how old they are, they’re mine to love for life.” Florence Edith McKinney, born May 31, 1933, wrote these words at the beginning of her journal containing her family history. She lived by these words, especially in the later half of her life, dedicating hours by making intricate quilts for each one. When her grandchildren went to her house, she hand-stitched designs for the quilts while visiting with them until late in the evening. She never boasted of her artistic skill, but she boasted of her children and grandchildren as often as she could.

Shortly before she peacefully passed away on February 27, 2024, she repeatedly told her children and grandchildren how much she loved them. She left with them an abundance of love and sweet words. She is survived by her four children, David Wayne, Mikel Richard, George Daniel “Danny,” and Harold Lockwood. She is also survived by her daughters-in-law, many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and her sister, Gail Landry.

Born to George Carpenter and Bernice Widcamp Carpenter, she was the oldest of five siblings: Gail, Bo, Edgar, and Jenell, and was the first grandchild on her mother’s side. She was the great-granddaughter of James and Lydia Baker, who were some of the first pioneers in Westlake, Louisiana. Throughout her life, many people called her “Topsy.” Others know her as Edith. She lived in Westlake for most of her life, but she often summered in Taylor’s Island, Maryland as a child, where she became fond of softshell crabs, fried green tomatoes, and swimming at Chesapeake Bay with friends and relatives; this inevitably led to her love for lighthouses and nautical themes.

Edith attended school in Westlake until her 1952 graduation. Initially, she wanted to become an elementary school teacher, but her plans changed when she married Ted McKinney three months after her graduation. She worked her way up the career ladder and eventually landed a job with the IRS as a Federal Civil Service employee, then later as an employee for Social Security. She was the president of many organizations and proved herself to be a natural-born leader. Despite her success and artistic skill, she spoke more of her family than herself. Orally and in her journal, she told her grandchildren many humorous and defining stories of the family members. She was proud of them all for many different reasons, but she loved them all equally and unconditionally.

Living in her grandfather’s renovated Westlake home most of her life, Edith and David, her oldest son, took care of each other. It was in this house where she created countless quilts with priceless intricacy and spent unmeasurable time with her grandchildren. Eventually, she moved in with Danny and his wife, where she was able to extensively research and record her family history so that she could pass her research down the family tree.

The advice she left behind in her journal was that children should do all they can to know their family’s history. Her pages of writing and documentation will help her descendants do this as they mourn the loss of her artistic, genuine, and loving spirit.

The family will welcome the public for visitation at Hixson Funeral Home of Westlake Friday, March 1, 2024 at 5pm until 8pm. Visitation will resume Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 12pm until time of funeral service at 2pm. Interment will follow at Magnolia Cemetery of Westlake.