James Roland Kinney, 81, of Litchfield, died Monday, Nov. 4, 2019, at 2:40 p.m. at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO.
Visitation will be held Friday, Nov. 8, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Plummer Funeral Home in Litchfield. Masonic rites will be exemplified at 6 p.m.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m. at Union Avenue Christian Church in Litchfield with the Bishop Lonnie Bruce and the Rev. Dennis Hill co-officiating. Cremation will follow the services. Interment of ashes will be held in Melrose Cemetery in Whiteville, TN, at a later date.
Mr. Kinney was born Oct. 10, 1938, in Whiteville, TN, a son of Duke William and Bettie Sue (McKinney) Kinney. He married the former Mary Jane Doss on Sept. 9, 1961, in Selmer, TN, and they later divorced.
A 1956 graduate of Whiteville High School, he studied civil engineering at Polytechnic Institute. He was a veteran of the Tennessee National Guard.
He started construction out of college with the Tennessee Highway Department. He then went to work for S.J. Groves Construction and Merrill Contractors. He later became self-employed, starting Kinney Contractors, Inc. as a highway contractor in 1985, and retiring in 2004.
A member of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints in Litchfield, he was a life member of Divernon Lodge #1158 A.F. and A.M., Scottish and York Rite and Ansar Shrine. He was very active in area Masonic lodges. He was a member of the Litchfield Country Club, and he loved to play golf and enjoyed traveling.
He is survived by two sons, William L. (Jennifer) Kinney of Litchfield and Robert J. (Laura) Kinney of Chatham; two sisters, Bettye (Larry) Davis of Covington, TN and Patricia Brown of Knoxville, TN; five grandchildren, Katherine "Katie" Kinney, Hillary Kinney, Jonathan Kinney, Robert J. Kinney and Alyssa N. Kinney; three great-granddaughters, Willow, Lily and Opal; and special friend and companion, Lavern Pugh of Mt. Olive.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by infant son, James Roland Kinney II; and one brother, William Kinney.
Memorials may be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children in St. Louis, MO, or the Litchfield Food Pantry.
Online condolences may be left at www.plummerfuneralservices.com.
