Lydia McKinley's Obituary
Lydia McKinley Obituary
Lydia McKinley, mother of eight, lived her life here on earth with unrelenting faith. Born to Rev. Wilfred McKinley and Thelma Lawrence, her faith began early. As a little girl, she loved sitting in the front pew of her father’s church, listening, singing, and tapping her feet along with the gospel classics. Throughout her lifetime, her faith has been tested in ways that would break many without, but she held steadfast to what she believed: that Christ was real and that He was always with her.
As an adolescent, she moved to Chicago from Convent, Louisiana. In 1946, at 13 years old, lost and stranded in a racist part of North Chicago, she prayed and asked God to guide her home. She walked over 100 blocks, from the north side of Chicago, to the south side, eventually finding her way home.
Lydia bore three children before moving back to Louisiana in 1958 to help her mother run her restaurant. Then, in 1965, she moved back to Chicago, and over the next 10 years, gave birth to five more children. During that time, she moved to Harvey and became a member of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church. In her nearly 50 years of living in Harvey, she has served in many capacities in the church, worked in administrative services for Bliss and Laughlin Steel, Sears, and American Red Cross.
During her latter years, she fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a published author. Her poem Hold On was published in the Book of our Great Modern Poets, and her first book, Walks of Faith was published in 2015, at age 82. At the time of her passing, she had published many poems and was working on her second book.
Lydia will be remembered for her kind and loving spirit, devotion to her children and grandchildren, and willingness to help those in need. She was preceded in her death by her mother, Thelma Kelly, father Wilfred McKinley, stepfather Herbert Kelly Sr., and brothers Herbert and Calvin Kelly. She is survived by eight children, Michael, Sharon, Donald, Janice, Derrick, Ilandus Sr., Keith, and Karen; a host of grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren; nieces, nephews, and cousins.
In appreciation of her life and her spirit of giving, in lieu of flowers, attendees are welcome to bring a toy to go to kids in need of joy this holiday season.
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