Kenneth Mckinney

Kenneth Nevelle McKinney, accomplished Oklahoma City trial lawyer and beloved father and grandfather, died peacefully on Monday at his daughter's home in Oklahoma City after a brief hospitalization. He was 82 years old. Ken was born on February 13, 1936 in Ponca City and was the son of Lieutenant Colonel Nevelle E. McKinney and Frances A. (Ellison) McKinney Alexander. Ken graduated from Blackwell High School then attended the University of Oklahoma, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and a college swimmer; he graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science in geology. Ken subsequently received a law degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1962. He married Jane Bowers McKinney, in Chickasha, Oklahoma on August 19, 1960. Ken and Jane had two daughters, Sarah Jane and Anne. Ken was commissioned as Captain in the United States Army and served as a judge advocate in the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps while a member of the Army Reserve. Upon graduation from law school, Ken joined the firm Duvall, Head, McKinney and Travis, where he practiced law with Duke Duvall, who became a mentor. Together with N. Martin Stringer and Kenneth Webster, Ken founded the firm of McKinney, Stringer & Webster in Oklahoma City in 1971. The firm eventually grew to more than 60 attorneys. Ken was active in firm management, oversaw the firm's litigation practice and enjoyed mentoring younger lawyers. Ken handled complex litigation matters, representing both plaintiffs and defendants, in cases involving many subject matters including environmental toxic torts, family partnership disputes, personal injury, professional liability, tax and commercial contract disputes. Skilled in both written and oral advocacy, Ken had the ability to dictate entire briefs in near final filing format. Ken became known as a gracious trial lawyer, obtaining numerous successful outcomes for his clients. He was a strong presence at the firm until its dissolution in 2005. He then joined the firm founded by one of his former partners, Robert D. Tomlinson of Tomlinson McKinstry firm as of counsel, where he practiced until his retirement in 2014. Throughout the course of his legal career, he received various accolades and was perhaps most proud of his induction into the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1979. Ken was also a prominent leader in the Oklahoma City community. He and his wife Jane had kind hearts and generous spirits. They were actively involved with their church, St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral; Ken served as a Vestry member and as Senior Warden at the church. Ken was a member of the Committee of 100 and was President in 1996. A long-standing Advisory Board member and United Way supporter, Ken also chaired the United Way campaign for the United Way of Central Oklahoma. A huge fan of University of Oklahoma athletics, Ken was a long-time season ticket holder for both football and basketball games and rarely missed attending a home football game during most of his adult life. He was a member of the international gastronomic society La Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs and of the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club. While the practice of law was a central focus of his life, Ken was always a loving husband, father and friend. He provided wise counsel and guidance to many young lawyers and family members alike. His unassuming intellect led him to comprehend salient facts quickly and analyze issues comprehensively; though patient and kind, he never sugar-coated the results of his analysis, as his children, partners and clients quickly learned. Ken and Jane loved to travel: together, the family spent multiple weeks over several summers on driving trips throughout Europe, having numerous travel adventures that became the subject of wonderful and often amusing family memories. Later in life, Ken and Jane enjoyed spending time in the summer with friends and family at their home in Blue Hill, Maine. The last two summers, Ken took two very special trips to Europe with his daughters and granddaughters. Ken was preceded in death by his wife, Jane Bowers McKinney; his parents, Nevelle McKinney and Francis Alexander; his parents-in-law, Woodrow W. and Lucile Bowers; and his sister, Marilyn Willis. He is survived by his daughters, Sarah Jane Gillett and her husband Matthew James Gillett, of Tulsa, and Anne Elizabeth Richmond, of Oklahoma City; his grandchildren, Natalie and Sophia Gillett, and Emma and Lucy Richmond; brothers Loren Alexander and wife, Beverly, of Colorado, Larry Alexander and wife, Marilyn, of Kansas, and Bill McKinney and wife, Mary Ann, of New Mexico; and sister Carrell Ebert and husband, Marty, of Arizona. A memorial service to celebrate Ken's life will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, September 24. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the United Way of Central Oklahoma, P.O. Box 248919, Oklahoma City, OK 73124-8919 or the University of Oklahoma Foundation, OU College of Law, Monnet General Fund in memory of Ken McKinney, 300 West Timberdell, Norman, OK 73019.