William R. Kinney

Funeral services for William R. Kinney will be held on Friday, May 24th, 2019 at 10:00 AM at Reed-Culver Chapel with Pastor Bill Dallas officiating. His visitation will be held on Thursday, May 23rd, 2019 beginning at 4:00 PM until 6:00 PM at Reed-Culver Chapel. His final resting place will be at Pettit Cemetery next to his wife Sophia.

Pallbearers for William include the United States Army Honors Team.

William Robert Kinney was born on Tuesday, January 15th, 1924 in Mannford, OK, the son of William E. and Ella (McDonald) Kinney. The family consisted of two sisters, Lillian and Walena, and relocated to the Keys, OK community, and it was in Tahlequah, OK, that William graduated from Bagley High School. WWII was in full swing, William was employed as a long shoreman, then the United States Army took William and turned him into a soldier. He would spend 1945 and 1946 in the occupational forces in the Philippines and Japan. He received his honorable discharge and returned to Keys, OK, and would meet and marry his sweetheart and best friend, Sophia L. Dearman. They married in 1947 and raised three daughters, Linda, Rosemary and Tina. William and Sophia were farmers. They raised cattle and hogs, baled hay, and provided for their family while caring for the land. William belonged to VFW and DAV, causes near and dear to his heart. The road to Stone Chapel led home, and this is where William was more comfortable in life. He worked hard, loved his family, and served his Lord and Savior, attending Cherokee Home Mission Church all of his adult life. He was a solitary man, could raise a tomato on a chunk of rock, and was happiest watching the sun rise and set from his own porch. His wife passed in 1997, and he remained with his family until his health no longer permitted him to live alone. The Lord called this good and faithful servant home from his labors on Monday, May 20th, 2019 in Fayetteville, AR with his loved ones by his side. He was 95 years old. He will be greatly missed for all the love he gave them.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Sophia, his mother and father, two sisters, Lillian Vance and Walena Kinney-Holland, and his twin grand-daughters who died shortly after birth, Marissa and Karissa Coombes.

Those left to cherish his memory include his loving daughters, Linda Myerick of Tahlequah, Rosemary Coombes and husband Leslie of Russellville, AR, and Tina Kinney of Tahlequah. He lives on in his grandchildren, Leslie Wayne Coombes and wife Donna, Amber Davis and husband Daniel, Tina Gaither and husband Josh, Emily Scrapper and husband Charles, and Kenneth. There are also three great grandchildren, Sophia Kaye Gaither, Joshua Isaac Gaither and Victoria Belle Davis, as well as many cousins and a host of friends and loved ones.