Helen McKinsey

Helen Frances McKinsey, 89, died Wednesday, April 23, 2014 in Westminster, Colorado. A Funeral Service will be held Monday, April 28, 2014 at 10:00 A.M. at Hood Mortuary Chapel. Pastor Alan Te Brink will be officiating. Burial will follow at Greenmount Cemetery in Durango.

Helen was born July 13, 1924 in Cicero, Indiana the daughter of Frank and Catherine Scherer. She resided until her marriage to Herb L. “Mac” McKinsey on December 16, 1944. They resided in Indiana until 1950 when they and their two daughters moved to Durango, Colo. The family lived at the Columbine Guest Ranch for a short time and Mac began working for the Brennan family Firestone on 12th and Main. Helen supported the family as an excellent homemaker and support for her household. She began working for Western Colorado Power Company which became La Plata Electric. Mrs. McKinsey retired in 1985 after 32 years as a bookkeeper.

Mac passed away in 1985 – the same year as her retirement. She began taking frequent trips with her sister, Ruth, to locations like Aruba, Hawaii, multiple cruises and other destinations.

Mrs. McKinsey was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Durango and volunteered for the Mercy Medical Center Ladies Auxiliary. She was also a lifetime member of the Order of the Eastern Star, La Plata Chapter # 83. In her later years she especially enjoyed spending time with her family, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Helen challenged herself with crossword puzzles and the Durango Herald’s “Daily Jumble”. She followed Colorado and Indiana sports with tenacity.

She is survived by her daughters: Linda Yeager of Westminster, Colo., and Susan Barcus of Clayton, Delaware, five grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren and extended family.

She was preceded in death by her husband Herb “Mac” McKinsey, siblings: Ruth Wiseman, Mae Brandenburg, Woody Scherer, Frank Scherer, Jr., Charlie Scherer, Billie Scherer an infant sibling and her parents.