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Donald Earl McKinney, Sr

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WYOMING ANCESTORS PAGE

DONALD EARL McKINNEY, SR
Born: 12 Jan 1920 Lander(Fremont) Wyo
Married: EDA FAYE THOMASSON 18 Jul 1943 Junction City(Geary) KS
Died: 7 Jul 1988 Fort Riley, KS
Buried: Fort Riley Military Cemetery, KS

  • Article: REFLECTIONS OF AN OLD SOLDIER

  • Article: OLD SOLDIERS NEVER DIE

    Pedigree Chart for Donald Earl McKinney Sr

    This page is dedicated to our father, Capt (Ret) Donald Earl McKinney Sr, who was born & raised near Lander, Fremont County, Wyoming. Some of the emphasis of this page will be to preserve, thru stories, family traditions & official documentation, the history of the McKinney and allied families who had settled in Fremont County, Wyoming over 100 years ago. Other emphasis will be placed on father's eventual departure from Wyoming during World War II to pursue a military career. A separate page will be dedicated to our mother and her Arkansas ancestors.

    • Donald & Eda Faye McKinney, 1943


  • Great-Grandparents: ANDREW "Jack" & SARAH (PENDLETON) GAYLOR

    DONALD EARL McKINNEY was born 12 Jan 1920 in Lander, Fremont County, Wyoming & was raised on various cattle ranches in the area. His parents, EARL & AMELIA "Dottie" (FARTHING) McKINNEY, as well as his grandparents were pioneer horse & cattle ranchers in that area of Wyoming. Besides his father's ranch, he worked on several other ranches in that area as a cowboy & horse breaker. During World War II, the Army began actively recruiting cowboys & horsemen for assignment to horse cavalry units. Donald joined up in October of 1941 and was stationed at the Cavalry Replacement Training Center at Fort Riley, Kansas. He soon rose to the rank of First Sergeant at the age of 22. In 1943, he met & married Eda Faye Thomasson of Magazine, Arkansas, who was also serving at Fort Riley in the WAACS. The next year, he served a combat tour in Burma.


    During the Korean War, he received a battlefield commission as a 2d Lieutenant and became a career army officer. After the Korean War, his wife & 2 young sons, Donald & Richard, joined him on his various assignments including Ft Leonard Wood MO, Ladd Air Force Base Alaska, Ft Knox KY and Ft Chaffee, Ark. Dad retired from the Army as a Captain in 1962 and returned to Junction City, Kansas, when he was hired as General Manager of the Fort Riley Credit Union. He held this position for 25 years until his death 7 July 1988. He was buried with full military honors at the Fort Riley Military Cemetery. My mother passed away 10 years later, 17 Oct 1998 in Topeka, Kansas & was buried beside him.

    Children of Donald & Eda Faye McKinney:

    Child 1: DONALD EARL McKINNEY, JR (HOME PAGE)
    Born: Paris(Logan) Ark


    Child 2: RICHARD OWEN McKINNEY
    Born: Whitside Clinic, Fort Riley, KS

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    Listed below are links to biographies & narrative material pertaining to the parents & grandparents of DONALD EARL McKINNEY, SR who were pioneer settlers of Fremont County, Wyoming.

    NOTE: Donald McKinney Sr's Great-Grandfather, ANDREW "Jack" GAYLOR was also a pioneer of Fremont County. For material concerning him please select the link below: