Helen Opal Mckinney

Helen Opal McKinney, 80 of North East, MD, died unexpectedly Thursday morning, January 5, 2006 in the Union Hospital fo Cecil County, Elkton, MD. Born in Charleston, WV on September 19, 1925, she was the daughter of the late Donald Fields and the late Margaret Lou Oyler. Helen is preceded in death by her husband Arthur R. Dick McKinney, Jr., who passed away July 25, 2000, and two sons Gary Donald and Kenneth Allen. Two sons surviver her, Wayne R. Mckinney of Concord, CA and Michael A. Mckinney of Elkton, MD. She was fortunate in haaving 5 grandchildren; Darren W. McKinney of fair Oaks, CA, David R. McKinney of Concord, CA, Dianna H. McKinney, Valerie M. McKinney, and Amy M. McKinney of Elkton, MD. Her great-grandson David, Jr. DJ who will be 5 in march wanted to come east to say good-bye to great-mom-mom. She is also survived by her sisters; Pauline, Mary Lou, Betty and Barbara Ann, and brothers; Donald, John, Edward and Joseph Lee. Helen left her home at age 16, spending some time with another family before coming to Cecil County to work as a time-keeper at Triumph outside Elkton during WWII. There she met her husband Dick. After the war he bought her a used greenhouse from Gilpin's Falls in order to get her African Violets out of the house. This small greenhouse blossomed into a wholesale and retail flower business that served at its peak the entire county and beyond-North East Florist. Helen won awards as a floral designer and developed a personal clientele who only wanted flowers if she did them. Her church was central to her life. Late in life she found a church home and nurturing fellowship at Hart's Methodist Church in Elk Neck where Dick's family hade been active in previous generations. She kept busy at the Cecil Historcal Societywhere she acquired a reputation as a good researcher and was very proud of her ability to generate funding for the society by the use of her talents for genealogical work. Together with her son Wayne and other family researchers, she was working on a complete historical record of the McKinney family on the eastern shore of MD. To celebrate her 80th birthday she traveled to California twice in 2005 for two weddings where she had an excellent time with family and friends. Her son Wayne was fortunate to be able to visit his mother very recently in North East. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM, Wednesday, January 11, 2006 at the Crouch Funeral Home, 127 South Main Street, North East, MD where friends and family may call from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM, Tuesday, January 10, 2006. Rev. Mary Browne will officiate. Interment will be in the North East Methodist Cemetery, North East, MD. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Hart's Methosist Church or the Cecil County Historical Society. For condolences visit www.crouchfuneralhome.com