"Dear Mr. McKinney and Family,I have many fond memories of sitting in you kitchen talking with Skip/your mom. She was always interested in what was going on and always interesting. A lovely woman....a lovely family!!My heart and prayers are with you.Love,Joe Young"
In loving memory of
Arlene "Skip" McKinney
December 31, 1969 - December 31, 1969
Arlene "Skip" Allsopp McKinney passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by her family on Monday, October 18, 2010. She was born in San Francisco on September 23, 1925, a third generation Californian. She graduated from UC Berkeley, Phi Beta Kappa, a member of her beloved Sigma Kappa Sorority, with a major in Latin American studies. After working a year as a Spanish translator for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Arlene, known as Skip (except to her California friends), left with a girlfriend on a one-month freighter trip to find jobs in South America. After finding civil unrest and no employment in Argentina, she found work in Rio de Janeiro with the United States-Brazilian military command. After a year, she decided to tour Europe and then found employment in Munich where she was in charge of personnel records for the U.S. Army-Europe. A year later she came home to San Francisco to marry her "pen pal" of five years, Bob McKinney, then moved to Hawaii, which served as their home port while Bob served in the Navy during the Korean War. She then moved to Indianapolis where she helped her husband start and develop his law practice and where they raised five perfect children, Rob, Marni, Kevin, Kent, and Lisa; enjoyed five perfect grandchildren, Franci, Aidan, Payton, Liza and Tristan; as well as her daughters-in-law, Bridget and Heather McKinney and her son-in-law, Dick Waterfield. She also enjoyed her interim home in Washington, D.C. during the Carter administration where she supported her husband as a Georgetown hostess and served as an active member of the International Club. They were happily married and traveled the world for 59 years. Art was always Skip's true love. She was particularly fond of portrait painting of her children, dogs, friends and studio subjects. She was generous of her talent, time and treasure working weekly at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and establishing at UC Berkeley an endowment for Latin American Scholarship, giving special support for her Sigma Kappa Chapter House, and for the world renowned Bancroft Library. Skip also joined her husband in supporting, financially and actively, many other causes including the US Naval Academy, Indiana University, and the Sierra Club Foundation. She was a former board member of the Indianapolis Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the Contemporary Club, and the McKinney Family Foundation. She was a member of the Investment Connection, Meridian Hills Country Club, Lemon Bay Country Club, Walloon Lake Country Club, The Columbia Club and Sam's Club. A special thank you to Steve Jobs. Her adventurous spirit, her marvelous dry wit, her gentle nature and absolute kindness, her selflessness, frugality and unrelenting loyalty will live in our hearts forever. Family and friends will gather on Friday, October 22nd from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. in the Father Paul Courtney Reception Room at St. Luke Catholic Church, 7575 Holliday Drive East, Indianapolis, IN with a Mass of Christian Burial being celebrated at 11:00 a.m. You are invited to visit www.leppertmortuary where you may share a personal memory of Skip and sign the guest book and in lieu of flowers, you may make a contribution to The Society of St. Vincent de Paul at www.svdpindy.org or the Indianapolis Art Center www.indplsartcenter.org.
Tributes
"Dear Mr. McKinney, Rob, Marni, Kevin, Kent, and Lisa,I want you all to know how much my family and I are thinking of you. I know how difficult it is to lose a parent, and our prayers go out to each of you.Jennifer Lanagan-Robison"
"Dear Mr. McKinney and family,What a wonderful lady Mrs. McKinney was!I have so many great memories of her when I was over at your home when I was younger. I'll never forget some of the funny stories!Our thoughts and prayers go all of you.Love, Dave"
"I am so sorry for your loss. She was a beautiful and warm woman. I so enjoyed chatting with her over the years. I remember so many sweet comments she made and her sweet smile. She had her own way of wanting to do banking a certain way. I often chuckled and teased her about that. I remember her being the first one in line to take advantage of our CD specails; I remember her wanting every perk we had to offer over the years; I remember her telling me "your CD rates are really bad". I told her I would let my boss (Marni and Mr. McKinney) know. She just smiled. And I for sure remember her being sad when she heard I was moving to Fort Wayne. That meant a lot to me. Her love for the grandchildren was something to cherish also. She loved them so much. I feel like she was family. You (Marni and Mr. McKinney ) were my professional life family for 23 years and I will cherish my memory of your Mom always. While we mourn her loss, I know you will continue to celebrate her life as I will. God bless and comfort you all. Lubna "
"The perfect mom and friend to the "perfect" children i am blessed to know. A special shout-out to Skip for the constant support she gave and the confidence she instilled in my mom, Liz, a fellow artist. With love, as always, your friend."
"We will miss Skip in Boca Grande and Walloon. She was a fine person and good friend"
"Dear Bob, Marni, Rob, Kevin, Kent and Lisa,I was very sorry to hear of your loss. I feel lucky to have met Skip on several Sierra Club outings. I was always impressed with her enthusiasm and sense of adventure... especially when I heard about her world travels. I also feel lucky to have met several generations of McKinneys. The many qualities of her children and grandchildren are a great testimony to what a special person Skip was. You are lucky to have had her in your lives. My thoughts are with you during this difficult time. Sincerely,Loren"
"Kathy & I wish to express our deepest sympathy to the McKinney family and all who knew this remarkable woman. Our thoughts are with you.Love-Michael Blades & Kathy Kilroy"
"To the McKinney FamilyI'm sorry I couldn't be with you today. Thanks for sharing a bit about Skip's story with all of us. Over the years I had a few opportunites to interact with Skip at various events. She was a truly beautiful woman. It is clear she was very impactful in the lives of all of you and will be thought of fondly in the years to come.My condolences for your loss "
"Bob, I have known and respected both you and Skip for many years. You and I have worked together on several projects and Skip was always right behind us with a helping hand. We will miss her. Let me know iI can be of any help to you. "
"My mother, Patricia Mehlinger, was one of Arlene's first cousins and her friend, and she will miss her very much. My mother and my husband and I send our thoughts and prayers to Bob, Marni, Robbie, Kevin, Kent, and Lisa and their children."