My aunt and family matriarch Helen Kathleen (Thompson) Kinney passed away on October 22, 2012. Here is her obituary:
Helen Kathleen Kinney, 94, of Grants Pass died at her home Monday, October 22, 2012.
A memorial celebration will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday at Chapel of the Valley – L.B. Hall Funeral Home, with Fr. William Holtzinger presiding. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.chapel-valley.com
Memorial contributions may be made to Lovejoy Hospice, 939 SE 8th Street, Grants Pass, OR 97526.
The youngest of six children, she was born August 9, 1918 in Ventura, California into a family of Ojai, California pioneers. Her parents were John E. and Josephine (Bullard) Thompson. After high school, Helen attended cosmetology school in Santa Barbara. From 1952 to 1962 she owned and operated a beauty shop at her home in Meiners Oaks, Calif.
On April 12, 1941 in Las Vegas, Nev. she married her childhood friend, Gerald W. "Bill" Kinney, who survives her. She followed Bill to Cocoa Beach, Florida, where he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Afterwards they lived in Compton, Santa Paula, Ojai and Meiners Oaks, Calif.
In 1947, they moved their family to Merlin, Ore., where Helen worked seasonally in the gladiola fields and offered childcare during the school year. In 1952 they returned to the Ventura, Calif. area but came back to Merlin in 1962. She waited tables at Tommy's Steak House (now Romars) in Merlin and owned and operated Kinney's King Freeze (now the Backroad Grill) for nine years, before she retired and sold the business
.
In her retirement Helen enjoyed RV travel (three times to Alaska), ocean and lake fishing, hunting and especially frequent family gatherings with her brothers and sisters, children and grandchildren. She was known for her simple but always-tasty meals on any occasion, her untiring work ethic and her great sense of humor and ability to laugh at herself.
In addition to Bill, her husband of 71 years, she is survived by three daughters, Kathy (Dick) Zahniser and Gale (Darrell) Shoemaker, both of Grants Pass, and Leah (Dan) Willis of Roseburg; 5 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
Helen Kathleen Kinney, 94, of Grants Pass died at her home Monday, October 22, 2012.
A memorial celebration will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday at Chapel of the Valley – L.B. Hall Funeral Home, with Fr. William Holtzinger presiding. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.chapel-valley.com
Memorial contributions may be made to Lovejoy Hospice, 939 SE 8th Street, Grants Pass, OR 97526.
The youngest of six children, she was born August 9, 1918 in Ventura, California into a family of Ojai, California pioneers. Her parents were John E. and Josephine (Bullard) Thompson. After high school, Helen attended cosmetology school in Santa Barbara. From 1952 to 1962 she owned and operated a beauty shop at her home in Meiners Oaks, Calif.
On April 12, 1941 in Las Vegas, Nev. she married her childhood friend, Gerald W. "Bill" Kinney, who survives her. She followed Bill to Cocoa Beach, Florida, where he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Afterwards they lived in Compton, Santa Paula, Ojai and Meiners Oaks, Calif.
In 1947, they moved their family to Merlin, Ore., where Helen worked seasonally in the gladiola fields and offered childcare during the school year. In 1952 they returned to the Ventura, Calif. area but came back to Merlin in 1962. She waited tables at Tommy's Steak House (now Romars) in Merlin and owned and operated Kinney's King Freeze (now the Backroad Grill) for nine years, before she retired and sold the business
.
In her retirement Helen enjoyed RV travel (three times to Alaska), ocean and lake fishing, hunting and especially frequent family gatherings with her brothers and sisters, children and grandchildren. She was known for her simple but always-tasty meals on any occasion, her untiring work ethic and her great sense of humor and ability to laugh at herself.
In addition to Bill, her husband of 71 years, she is survived by three daughters, Kathy (Dick) Zahniser and Gale (Darrell) Shoemaker, both of Grants Pass, and Leah (Dan) Willis of Roseburg; 5 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
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