♡𝐈𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲♡

Mary was born in Pleasant Gap, Missouri to Gus and Pearl (nee Wolf) Winter. She was the second youngest of six children. Most of her childhood was on her family farm, where she learned how to cook and quilting. When she was 16 she started working on a quilt, she would continue to work on that same quilt until her death. She married Cecil Ray McKinley, they would have two children; Cecil Ray McKinley Jr and Nina Sue McKinley. Her youngest child, Nina died after accidentally being hit by Cecil Sr's car. Despite this Mary didn't spoil her only granddaughter, in fact she got on to her son and daughter-in-law for spoiling her!

Mary went to college like the rest of her siblings, and much like her sisters, worked as a teacher and librarian. She worked in Hume, Butler, Metz, Horton, and many other towns and villages in that area. While she worked as a librarian she would often bring home book so she could read them to my mother. Mary loved her grandchildren and great grandchildren with all of her heart. Her youngest grandson remembers when one morning, when he wasn't hungry, she gave him this medicine that made eat everything she made. To her grandchildren, she was simply known as Grandma Mary but to her great grandchildren (including my mother) she was known as "Granny Mary". Every letter and card was signed with "Granny Mary" and she would correct you if you didn't call her that.

My mother and her Granny Mary had a special relationship. My mom and her older brother were the first great-grandchildren she had, and they were the only ones for a very long time. Mary would babysit my mom and uncle while my grandparents went to have fun (they were so young when my uncle and mom were born!). Mary even took them to Naperville, and showed them the river her grandfather sailed down when coming to America from Germany! Her butter and bread was seen as godly to her family as well. Despite her formal manner, she still made silly mistakes. One day when she drove to Fulton, a chicken was stuck in the radiator! So she drove around with a chicken there until her grandkids pointed it out when she got home!

Mary suffered several tragedies through her life; the death of her parents, the death of her daughter, and the death of many siblings. Her husband was an alcoholic and was abusive to her throughout their time together. She and her husband had a farm where they took care of many well known family's cattle, such as the Oppenheimers! But due Cecil's alcoholism and chronic spending on things such as a jetplane, they had to sell the farm. Mary tried to help her husband over come his addiction.

After the farm was sold Mary lived in what my mother called "Granny Lane", where several of my mom's grandmothers and great-grandmothers lived very close to each other! Not that long after Mary loved into a nursing home in Prescott, Mary ended up hating living there. When my mom worked there, she hold Mary's hand as she cried and had to tell her loving great-granny 'no' when trying to give her money. Mary's husband, Cecil, was placed in a nursing home in Humansville and much like his wife, he didn't like it there.

Mary suffered from diabetes and she that contribute to her death on Halloween night of '95. My mom was devastated when she learned of her Granny Mary's death. Mary is missed by all that knew her.

PARENTS:
August William "Gus" (1878 - 1960)
Pearl Emma Wolf (1881 - 1962)

SIBLINGS:
Warren Clinton (1902 - 1975)
Gladys Marie Norton (1904 - 1992)
Frederick William (1906 - 1983)
Hayley (1908 - 1908)
Hazel Elizabeth Ethridge (1911 - 1962)
Kathleen Lucile Cantrelle (1919 - 1985)

HALF SIBLINGS
George William Spain (1898 - 1899)

CHILDREN
Cecil Ray McKinley Junior (1938 - 2022)
Nina Sue McKinley (1940 - 1941)

{Bio written by Mary's great great grandson}