Charlotte - Mary Anne Davis McKinley, 87, passed away on February 10, 2019. She was born on December 31, 1931 in Gainesville, Florida, a daughter of the late Grover Madison and Willie Bryant Davis, and beloved wife of her late husband Douglas P. McKinley. She was born at Alachua General Hospital, the criteria for being an official Gator. Mary Anne was the youngest of seven children, all vivacious, athletic, and raised in Gainesville.
Mary Anne attended Gainesville High School where she was very popular as a successful student, cheerleader and homecoming queen her senior year. Mary Anne graduated from the University of Florida, Gainesville in 1954, when it had only a 5% female population, receiving a degree in social work. She was a member of the Alpha Omega Pi sorority and later served as chairwoman of the Panhellenic Council. Following graduation, she worked as a clerk for the FBI in Washington, DC and later as a social worker in Stockton, California. She was a role model for her many nieces with her robust academic, professional and personal achievements.
She met her husband, Doug, while she was in college and he was in graduate school at the university. Mary Anne and Doug were married for 55 years, before his passing in 2011. They lived for more than 20 years in Asheville, NC, where they raised their two children, Kelly and Doug. Mary Anne and Doug moved to St. Simons Island, Georgia after his retirement and spent many happy years living the island life. They enjoyed bike riding, bird watching, and many sunsets in their idyllic place. While living there, Mary Anne thoroughly enjoyed working part time at The Cloister on Sea Island. She was an avid bridge player and loved to read and garden.
Mary Anne is survived by her sister, Barbara Thomas of Hamlet, NC; her children, Kelly McKinley Stribling (Paul) of Boise, Idaho, and Douglas Patrick McKinley (Sally), of Charlotte, NC; grandchildren, Lindsay Stribling, Sarah Stribling, Patrick McKinley and Caroline McKinley; and many nieces, nephews and their children.
The family would like to thank the staff of Sunrise Brighton Gardens of Charlotte for their kindness and care of Mary Anne for the past two and a half years. We would also like to thank Hospice and Palliative Care, particularly Afton Phillips and Nashema Davis, for their loving care and assistance. Memorials may be made to Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region, 7845 Little Ave., Charlotte, NC 28226.
A service by the graveside will be held in June on St. Simons Island, Georgia.
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