Linda Carol McKinney

Funeral Mass for Linda Carol McKinney will be 10:00a.m., Tuesday, January 3, 2023 at St. Cecilia Catholic Church, Claremore.  Friends may visit at the funeral home on Monday, January 2, from 2pm-8pm, with family receiving visitors from 6pm-8pm.

Linda Carol McKinney was born March 3, 1950, in Newport, Rhode Island, to Thomas Dale and Adele Marie (Stockla) Wooldridge. She attended school in Ronkonkoma, New York, graduating in 1969.  Her work career began at ABC Records and over time she collected some her favorite music.

During her time in New York, she and her friend managed to get tickets to Wood Stock and both attended.  After a few days she called her dad to pick her up.  Although she enjoyed the adventure, she was ready to come home.  As a young adult the family moved to Illinois and this is where she met Jess A. McKinney.  On September 27, 1975 Linda married Jess and the couple made their home there until moving to Virden, Illinois, so they could help on Jess' family farm.  Jess's job brought them to the Tulsa area and the family settled in Claremore, and this has been home since.  

Linda was always able to adapt to any situation or place she was in.  Moving from New York and becoming a farm hand in Illinois only made her stronger.  After the move to Claremore, she worked for the Claremore Progress selling advertising.  She later worked as a credit assistant at RCB Bank.  She loved the time spent as a teacher's aide at West Side School, where she could be around children.  Linda's family was most important to her. She loved to garden and take care of her yard.  Her home was immaculate and she loved opening the windows in the spring and fall, to let the fresh air in.  She kept the kids busy with many different activities and loved planning the next vacation destination.

Those family members that survive include her husband, Jess McKinney; her sons Jess R. McKinney and wife Wendy and Jacob McKinney and wife Cari; grandchildren Anastasia McKinney, Angelique McKinney, Dru Velez and wife Melody, Landon Velez, Logan Dotson, Brett Russell and wife Alex, and Ethan Russell and fiancée Savannah Howell, Dyalise Gramajo and Brandon Gramajo; her great grandchildren Isaac and Elijah Gramajo; her cousins who were like her sisters Barbara Ault and Marilyn Horan.  Linda was preceded in death by her parents Thomas and Adele Wooldridge and cousin Janet Horan.

A memorial contribution may be made in Linda's honor to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.