Obituary for Analee Kinney
Analee Kinney passed away peacefully during the evening of December 7, 2023 at Country Health Care and Rehab in Gifford, Illinois. She was born Analee Catherine Lathrop on February 3, 1923 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, preceded in death by her husband Del Jay Kinney (1922-2008), and daughter Sara Beth “Sally” Wakasugi, and survived by her sons Jay Kinney (Dixie Tracy-Kinney) of San Francisco and Todd Kinney (Peggy Patten) of Urbana, Illinois; grandchildren Devin Kinney, Hannah Kinney (Charlie Ballard), Maura Kinney (Josh Levine), Naoki (Nan) Wakasugi; and two great-grandchildren.
Analee was a generous and caring person who often put the needs of others before her own as a wife, mother, and friend. She grew up in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin and went to college at Milwaukee State Teacher’s College (now University of Wisconsin Milwaukee) where she met and fell in love with Del whose art locker was next to hers. She taught second grade in South Milwaukee after graduation while Del completed his tour of duty in Europe with the Army Air Force. They were married on December 29, 1945.
Del’s YMCA career took them to Cleveland, Ohio in 1946 where their three children were born. Analee was a homemaker and preschool teacher in Lakewood, Ohio until 1962 when they moved to Naperville, Illinois where she became lifelong best friends with her next door neighbor Shirley Prosche. When her children were grown, Analee again taught preschool and then explored her more creative side as a weaver and writer. She co-authored a book (“Never Too Old To Have Fun”) for Nursing Home Activity Directors with another close friend, Agnes Schaller, and wrote numerous poems and stories about her life and observations.
Analee and Del’s social life was busy as active leaders in their church and the local YMCA service club. Analee loved to play piano and would often play for social events, parties, and sing-a-longs with Del as the song leader.
In 1995, Analee and Del moved to Otterbein Senior Life in Lebanon, Ohio, a full spectrum of care retirement community they admired while visiting friends who had retired there. Not only did they make many new friends at Otterbein, they also convinced their closest friends from Naperville to move there as well and had many more years of fun together. In the end, Analee outlived all of them; Shirley was the last to pass in 2020. As Shirley’s daughter Peggy told me a few days after she passed, “Analee and Mom have probably not stopped talking up in heaven….”
Analee was a devoted grandmother and most loved spending time with all her grandchildren. She made many trips to Japan to visit her daughter Sally, Sally’s husband Shigeki, and especially her grandson Naoki. Todd & Peggy’s kids were lucky enough to have her live only a few hours drive away, so she was a regular visitor at holidays, birthday parties, and school activities.
Our family would like to acknowledge the wonderful at-home care Analee received from the loving caregivers at Otterbein Wellness and FullMed Staffing during 2020-2022. She spent the last year and a half of her life at Country Health in Gifford, Illinois so that she could be closer to her family. What a special place this turned out to be; the compassion, caring, and competence shown by their staff was world class. Admittedly, Analee was easy to like; she always had a smile and a thank you for everyone she came in contact with there. But the same care was extended to every single resident at Country Health; we witnessed this time and time again.
No public Memorial Service will be held. At a private memory-sharing session held during a recent family gathering, it was clear that she will be remembered most for her unconditional love, support and acceptance.
To plant a tree in memory of Analee Kinney, visit the Tribute Store.
Events
Event Information
Cremation has taken place.
Loading...