Leonard Earl McKinney

Mr. Leonard Earl McKinney, 85, of Roswell, GA passed away June 29. Born in Salisbury Center, NY, he graduated from Herkimer High School in 1946. His senior picture quote “Machines are the only thing on his mind and they are definitely not a puzzle” accurately identified his engineering and tool making talent. He served in the New York National Guard in the 27th Infantry and Armored Divisions from 1948-1958 achieving 1st Lieutenant rank. He worked for General Electric Corporation in Syracuse, NY and Pittsfield, MA from 1956-1994 retiring as an advanced manufacturing engineer. While working fulltime, he attended Syracuse University at night earning an A.S. in production Management and A.S in technical/vocational education. Upon retirement, he and his wife moved to Athens, GA and pursued their love for travel by taking numerous tripsindependently and through the Rhodes Scholar program within the United States and internationally through Rhodes Scholar program to England, Ireland and Belgium. Through his independent travels, he and his wife would explore the natural beauty of his country with a favorite location being Kure Beach, NC. His other hobbies were cooking for his family and making furniture for his home. He was a devout Catholic and his priorities were his marriage, children, religion and his job. He was vitally interested in learning throughout his life- it was something he and his wife shared and this value lives in his children. When he moved to Athens, he actively participated in many courses through the University of Georgia’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Another way his love of learning was evidenced was his strong support for The Dictionary Project. Through his efforts, each 3rd grade class in the Athens-ClarkeCounty school district received dictionaries. His belief in providing this resource to children inspired the Rotary to take on the project of distributing dictionaries statewide. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Helen (Keefe); daughter Catherine and son-in-law of Decatur, GA; son Mark and daughter-in-law of White Plains, NY; sister Gloria Bunce, Herkimer, NY; and brother Robert Dean, Mohawk, NY. A Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, July 5 at 2:00 pm at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Alpharetta, GA followed by an opportunity to visit with the family at 3pm in the church hall. Burial to follow at a later date at the Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Fayetteville, NY. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Dictionary Project, PO Box 1845, Charleston, NC 29402, (843) 856-2705,www.dictionaryproject.org.