John McKinley, 85

CRESCO -  John McKinley a long time Rochester resident died on Tuesday, July 30th due to complications from a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy Body dementia at River Bend Senior Care.

 John was born in Muncie, IN in 1938 and served in the United States Marine Corps from 1957 to 1961.  An early pioneer in the computer sciences he moved to Rochester in 1971 and worked at the Mayo Clinic’s computer research and IT support teams until his retirement in 2001.

 John was an avid climber who took on many of the tallest mountains in the Rockies after his retirement.  He was also active with a number of climbing clubs in the region.  His other outdoor passions included flyfishing the local trout streams, camping, hunting in the Whitewater River valley and countless trips to the Minnesota North Shore, where he introduced his love of the outdoors to friends, family members and work associates.

 John is survived by his wife of 49 years Shirley McKinley of Rochester, his son William McKinley and  daughter in law Melissa McKinley of Omaha, NE, brother Michael McKinley of Muncie, IN, sister Jayne Gentry and brother in law Ed Gentry both of Bluffton, IN and 2 grandchildren Oliver and Hannah Gjere who both reside in Rochester and are carrying on the tradition of working for the Mayo Clinic. John was preceded in death by his daughter Sarah Szabo, and his sister Joanne Curtis.

The family would like to thank Visiting Angels, Mayo Hospice and the staff at River Bend Senior Living for the excellent care, and kindness they showed to John during his illness.

 A private memorial will be held at a later date.  In hopes of saving others from dealing with the long-term and catastrophic effects of Parkinson’s Disease, the family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Mayo Clinic Parkinson’s Research Fund.