John Patrick Kinney

Dr John Kinney was born in St Louis but spent his youth in Corpus Christi, Texas. John was the eldest of four children. His humble beginnings were a driving force to achieve and provide throughout his life. As a young boy, John contracted Polio during the epidemic of the 40s. He fought and won the war against the ravaging disease though the scars of that battle were imprinted on both his psyche and physical countenance. After that experience, John never stopped working to best what was in front of him.

John was originally called to the seminary and each summer he returned home to be with his brothers and sister while also holding down jobs to pay for school. John’s intellect could only be described as exceptional; the seminary couldn’t provide the stimulation he needed. The path to medical school led John to Dallas in 1963. John was in Parkland hospital when JFK was brought in after being shot. That was one of his great stories. John went from the University of Texas where he completed medical school one year early to the prestigious Stanford University. Having impressed so many educators, they all clambered for John to join their specialty. John came across Dermatology after grueling rotations at Stanford and decided Derm was his passion. Much like everything else, John never stopped learning and striving to be the best Dermatologist he could be.

While at Stanford, John was called to service with the United States Public Health Service, specifically the National Institutes of Health. This path led John to Washington, DC where he met the great love of his life, Janet.

Jan and John moved to New York City so that he could begin working at NYU Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital in the Department of Dermatology. One of the great stories John told was people were always trying to challenge him to get something wrong (because he never did) and so they found one of the most difficult cases on the floor. John did a lot of talking to the patient, checked out some nerve sensitivity, and ultimately declared one of the final cases of leprosy in NYC. Of course, he was right!

John and Jan had a large group of friends in NYC many of whom remain friends even now. When it came time to start thinking of roots and a family, Jan and John opted for South Florida. A very logical place for a beginner Dermatologist!

Soon a family of two became a family of four and Quintin and Tracy proved life would never be quiet again. John used to make epic pancake breakfasts on Saturday mornings and take Q&T to the office to play while he worked. The perfect babysitting device was a little liquid nitrogen, a styrofoam cup, and a long-tipped cotton “wand”. John attacked fatherhood much like everything else, with great energy! Trips to the park were common where he would run and the kids would bicycle to keep up. John would often take the family to the beach digging a hole deep enough for the kids to stand up in. Sunday’s were dedicated to tennis at the club with pool time afterward. John would throw a tennis ball for the kids to jump off the end of the diving board and catch while flying through the air. To this day, Quint and Tracy toss a tennis ball with their own families.

Continuing the tradition of large friend groups, John and Jan hosted legendary parties. Their ultimate yearly achievement was the Superbowl party. This party became a yearly event for John and Jan’s friends, growing so large as to include Quint and Tracy’s friends as well. John would spend months planning food. He would provide massive amounts of Honeybell oranges freshly cut for all guests. John would begin barbecuing early in the day and hold court around the burning charcoal all day. To this day, friends and family consider Superbowl Sunday a Kinney family holiday.

John was always full of energy and talked to everyone as though they were his best friend for life. He had stories to make you laugh, ones to make you think, and ones that started a spirited debate. John never missed a chance to learn about someone else and accepted everyone as someone interesting. Quint and Tracy’s friends loved John as much as his own friends did. Each is reaching out this week with funny tales of parties, quiet moments, or other special times with John.

John’s generosity knew no bounds. He always thought of others. One great example of John’s spirit is the yearly Christmas turkeys. John would purchase as many as 25 turkeys for staff and co-workers at the Palm Beach Medical Group. Because John was so excited to do this for his friends, a neighbor built a smokehouse to cook the turkeys that were given out! This amazing yearly event meant that families had something to gather around on a special day and carry on the tradition John held so dear. Being together.

John’s reputation as an exceptional Dermatologist was unparalleled. His opinion was sought after and his patients respected him. Being an avid academician, John was at the forefront of the Vitamin D trend knowing many years ahead of most that vitamin D is imperative to one’s health. Being a Dermatologist, however, he couldn’t advise folks to go sit in the sun! So John studied and worked with other burgeoning experts on just the right dosage for optimum health. John shared his great professional knowledge with many and even volunteered his time with multiple organizations. Weekly, he went to Noreen McKeen and provided services to the elderly who couldn’t make it out to the doctor’s office. Once the Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation was created, John immediately got involved on the board and the education department. Creating SAM, Students Against Melanoma, was a passion project for John. It is now in multiple schools across Palm Beach County, bringing SunSafety to as many young folks as possible.

After 30 years with the Palm Beach Medical Group. John saw an opportunity to branch out and decided to open his own office in his 60s. This gargantuan undertaking proves once again that once John had an idea, there was no stopping him. And while his intellect and drive were apparent in so many endeavors, his new office showed bravery and an entrepreneurial side that was only hinted at prior to. John’s office was so successful he brought on extra help and was often booked for months in advance. He never denied a patient being seen, however. They were squeezed in and always felt like they were seeing their friend for advice rather than the Dermatologist.

Though John did not have a great deal of time to travel, he did dream of rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon for many years. That trip happened as soon as Tracy was old enough to go. As ever the planner, John found that rafting the Colorado River was good in a raft but best in a dory. For those that don't know, a dory is a five-person rowboat. Two in the front and two in the back with the rowing captain sitting high up in the center of the boat. John had wanted to do this for so long and made it a reality just as soon as he could. When talking about the next vacation ever, all of us still say the Grand Canyon/Colorado takes the cake.

John was passionate about so many things it is hard to narrow them down. Because he loved mangos, John bought the fruit off of a neighbor’s tree. He would gather buckets and buckets of mangos, peel and slice them, and then stick bags and bags of mangos in the freezer. Sometimes you’d open the freezer and bags of mangos would fall out at you. John loved tennis, so not only would he play multiple times a week, he (and the kids) hand-painted the driveway tennis court green every few years. In addition to tennis, John ran through Dreher Park or Lake Clarke Shores frequently. He loved Lake Osborne and sometimes biked through there with Jan. John thought out every move like it was the most important decision of his life. He planned timeshare vacations a year in advance, mapped out hurricane routes, and made sure that every window, door, and roof of his house was hurricane-proof. John was fastidious about lawn maintenance and worked solo on a massive Florida lawn with palm trees and other fauna for years. Eventually, John needed a little extra help and found a friend in David. David and John then worked together for years on the yard, often unloading 40-50 bags of red mulch. David and John have created an oasis in Lake Clarke Shores.

As John retired his focus turned once again, to his great love, Jan. John and Jan began traveling using the time on long road trips to listen to Audiobooks. They have never met a museum they didn’t like so each stop in each town was punctuated by museum stops of every kind. Trips could last as long as two months with roads mapped out across the United States. John and Jan played epic games of Backgammon and after a few years of retirement discovered art! John worked with shapes, pens, dots, and ultimately discovered a true talent for coloring intricate graphic pictures.

To add to the fun, John began focusing on adventures for the grandkids, Tyler, Sarah and Maddy. Yearly he and Jan (with a little help from Tracy) would take the kids to Disney World, Sea World, Universal, Discovery Cove, the Everglades, Busch Gardens, and the all time favorite Aquatica. John and Jan had epic weekends of painting, gingerbread house making, Easter egg painting, arts and crafts, and baseball in the backyard, with the occasional indulgent movie day. Tyler, Sarah, and Maddy adored John and he showed them again and again just how special they are.

Most recently, John was excited about celebrating his lifelong love and marriage to Jan. After postponing due to COVID they celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary with a weekend spent with family and enduring friends. John and Jan brought together their original wedding party for a weekend spent retelling great old tales, spirits, cards, good food, and more memories built. They then threw a party with even more great tales and toasts with even MORE family friends celebrating the web that love can build. John was so proud of this.

Without a doubt, John lived a life of devotion, energy, and generosity. He never stopped thinking about others. John worked and lived and loved everything he had. We all were so lucky to have known him.

He is survived by his wife Janet, his son Quintin with wife Stacy and children John Tyler and Sarah, and his daughter Tracy with granddaughter Madeleine, his sister MaryAnn, his brother Jim, and predeceased by his brother Father Tom.