Hal McKinley, Jr. was born August 31, 1919, and passed away September 25, 2013.
Hal served in World War II in the Fifth Army as an anti-air craft gunner serving Italy. Hal owned his own business, C.A. McKinley and Sons, selling sand shell and asphalt for many decades. Upon selling his company he worked for several other construction companies before finally retiring.
In his eighties, Hal was the oldest student at Lamar University taking machine shop and used his talents making miniature stream engines. Hal enjoyed sailing, raising orchids, and his grandchildren. He really enjoyed teaching his great- grandchildren how to build things and watching them learn.
Hal loved his family very much. He was a devoted husband for seventy years. He was frequently seen sneaking a hug and a kiss from his wife, Margaret. Their love for each other had no end. He also had a unique bond with his son Ken. They were always together building things in his shop or growing sugarcane to teach his great grandchildren how to make cane syrup. He had a hand in raising each grand and great grandchild too. Whether it was teaching them how to work a tractor, how to fish, or how to make pancakes from scratch or to standing up for what you believed in and treating everyone with respect.
He also taught the family how to share his famous chocolate pie at Christmas. Well, they taught him how to make more than one, which he gladly did. Most importantly Hal McKinley taught his family hard work is good for you. That taking rest in things that make you happy is healthy. But most of all there are no limits to love and family.
Those that knew Hal were touched in a way that will forever be with them. We celebrate his life and the impact he had on the world.
Hal is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Jean Marie and Billy Kirbow; sister, Penny Weeks; son, Ken McKinley and his wife, Pam; grandson, Ken McKinley Jr. and his wife, Amber; great-grandsons, Kyle and Kolby McKinley; grandson, Thad McKinley and his wife, Ashley; granddaughter, Tasha McKinley; and great-granddaughter, Kierstin McKinley.
Hal was preceded in death by his wife Margaret; his son, Hal McKinley III; father, Hal McKinley; mother, Eugene; brothers, Bradley and Emmett; and sister, Marjorie Buxton.
His memorial service will be 2:00 p.m., Sunday, September 29, 2013, at Wesley United Methodist Church, 3810 North Major Drive, Beaumont, under the direction of Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. A family committal was held at Broussard’s Crematorium, Beaumont.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Wesley United Methodist Church Building Fund, 3810 North Major Drive, Beaumont, Texas 77713 or to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, Texas 77210.
