Sharon Beata McKinley

Sharon was the daughter of Jess H. Olsen and Georgiana Jane (Purdue) Olsen. She spent her early childhood in the Big Lost River Valley and graduated from Mackay High School in 1957.

On November 5, 1957, Sharon married the love of her life, John "Bruce" McKinley. Together they welcomed their children: Jill Marie McKinley and Bradley Jay McKinley.

She began working at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, formerly known as the U.S Atomic Energy Commission, in 1959.

Sharon pursued higher education with dedication and purpose. She attended Idaho State College, earned her associate degree from Arizona Western College, and later completed both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Business Education from Northern Arizona University.

In June 1970, the McKinley family moved to Yuma, Arizona, where Sharon began a long and distinguished career at Arizona Western College. She served as Executive Assistant to the President for three successive college presidents and also taught as an Adjunct Faculty Member in the Business Department. After thirty years of service, Sharon retired in 2004.

Her retirement years were filled with meaningful volunteer work. Sharon was an active member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood and contributed generously to the Assistance League, now known as the Yuma Outreach Partnership (YOP).

Sharon was preceded in death by her parents, Jess and Georgiana Olsen; her sister, Jane Olsen; and three of her children, Michael Gene McKinley, James Bruce McKinley, and Jill Marie McKinley.

She is survived by her devoted husband, John (Bruce) McKinley; her son, Bradley Jay McKinley; and her siblings Mary Ellett, Thomas Olsen (Dorothy, and Beverly Wickel. Sharon leaves behind her cherished grandchildren—Jonathan McKinley, Haley Harrison, and Easton Harrison—as well as her great-grandchildren Dylan Lingard, Owen McKinley, and Gwen McKinley.

Sharon will be remembered for her warmth, her commitment to education, her generosity of spirit, and the deep love she held for her family and community.