Miriam Louise Kinner

On February 21st, Miriam Louise Kinner, known to friends and family as Mimi, lost her life to a recurrence of a cancer thought to have been resolved two years before. She confronted the very aggressive disease, as she lived her life, with optimism, good humor, and faith. She lost her courageous fight but not her spirit. Mimi will be missed by the friends she retained from her years growing up in Montgomery County, MD. Her parents had moved to the DC metropolitan area from Michigan where Mimi was born. She attended Woodward High School, developing lifelong friendships she cherished. Mimi gained work experience here with the Wall Street Journal and the Federal Disaster Administration, the forerunner of FEMA. She began college at University of Maryland, but transferred to the University of Michigan, where she graduated with teaching credentials. She enjoyed a short stint teaching English in Northville, MI before the position was eliminated by budget cuts. Mimi returned to the Washington DC area and worked as a paralegal in a downtown law firm. While with that firm, she attended Law School at night at the George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, VA. Mimi earned her JD in 1985 and worked with several small firms. She sharpened her expertise in family law while practicing with Audrey D'cruz, in Fairfax, VA. Mimi started the Law Offices of Miriam Kinner upon Audrey's retirement, and continued a successful law practice until her death. During her career, Mimi remained concerned about the welfare of her associates and her clients. Her strength, intelligence and compassion improved the lives of those she worked with and those who retained her. So many people benefitted from Mimi's support and encouragement, they too became long term friends. Mimi reserved her greatest passion for her family. She cared deeply for her parents as they aged. Mimi worked diligently to manage the estates of her father, William, and her mother, Mary Lou Holland as they predeceased her within the past year. She is survived by her brother, Paul Holland and his wife Jane; her sisters, Dr. Susan Holland and her husband, Michael Proctor, and their son Matthew and his wife Lori, and daughter, Caity; Amy Yendall and her son Billy; and Jennifer and her husband, David Still and their son Brenden. She was blessed by her siblings in her time of need as they made extraordinary efforts to support Mimi as she fought cancer. Mimi met her husband, Donald, during law school. They married in 1987 and she was always proud of their strong happy marriage. One of the joys in her life was travelling extensively with her husband. She was perhaps even prouder of their son, Keil, and daughter, Kelsey. Mimi worked hard to adopt her children from orphanages in Russia. The opportunity to be the mother of two beautiful, truly special individuals brought her immense joy. In lieu of flowers the family asks that contributions be made to the American Cancer Society.