In Loving Memory
Joseph F. Kinney
Jan. 26, 1921 - June 28, 2012
Joseph Francis Kinney, 91, passed away June 28, 2012, at Regency at The Park, 420 SE Myra Road, College Place, Wash.
Joseph was born Jan. 26, 1921, in Paducah, Ky., to George Wilson and Cleo Goodloe Kinney. In 1939, he graduated from Humboldt County High School in Winnemucca. From 1939 to 1941, he attended the University of California in Berkley and received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nevada in Reno in 1949.
On June 20, 1942, he and Margaret "Peggy" Louise Sowers married in Reno. He served in the US Army 8th Air Force with the 18th Weather Squadron as a Weather Forecaster during WWII, stationed in Liverpool, England, from 1942-1945.
A Mechanical Engineer for the US Army Corps of Engineers, he worked on the completion of Hoover Dam in Boulder City and Chief Joseph Dam in Bridgeport, Wash.; and participated in a Feasibility Study for electrical power from tidal flows in Boston, Mass. The family moved to Walla Walla in 1959 from Beverly, Mass., and from the Walla Walla Office of the Corps of Engineers, he worked on Missile Defense Systems in Los Angeles, Calif., and Spokane, Wash.; fall-out shelters in the Northwest; instrumentation systems in Dworshak Dam and major dams on the Snake and Columbia rivers to detect and monitor any cracks in concrete. Following retirement in March, 1980, he contracted to complete emergency action plans for dams in Canada and the Western United States after the collapse of the Teton Dam.
Joe always made everyone feel welcome and comfortable. He was appreciated for his ability to fix anything and everything. Always helpful, he and his wife, Peggy, volunteered to teach ballroom dancing to a youth group. Together they helped with community and Wa-Hi swim teams. As a former diver, Joe judged diving. As members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Joe and Peg taught boating safety classes.
He was a member of Retired US Army Corps of Engineers, US Coast Guard Auxiliary, B.P.O.E. Lodge #287, and the First Presbyterian Church.
Joe is survived by his daughter and son-in-law: Judith Ann and Steven R. Tidrick; two sons and daughters-in-law: James Lewis and Jean Kinney and Joseph Robin and Rose Kinney; ten grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and six nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife of 68 years, Margaret "Peggy" Louise Sowers Kinney.
At his request there will be no service. Memorial contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church or Walla Walla Community Hospice through Mountain View-Colonial DeWitt, 1551 Dalles Military Road, Walla Walla, WA 99362.
Friends may write memories and sign the online guestbook at www.mountainview-colonialdewitt.
[[In-content Ad]]
