William R. Mckinley

William "Bill" Robert McKinley, Jr. passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his family on August 1, 2022.

He was born February 24, 1938 in Covington, Kentucky, to the late William Robert McKinley, Sr. and Daisy Katherine (Udry) McKinley. In 1964, Bill married the love of his life Theresa Rynders McKinley. They would have been married 58 years on the 28th of this month.

Bill graduated from Lloyd High School, class of 1955, and then received his Bachelor's Degree in History and Math from Bryan College, class of 1959, where he was a member of the basketball team. He later earned a Master's Degree in Education Administration from California State – Long Beach in the early 1970's. After graduating from Bryan College, Bill began a 60 year career in education where he served as a teacher, coach, athletic director, vice principal, principal and superintendent. From 1959 to 1994, he served in various roles – teacher, vice principal, principal, superintendent – at Maranatha High School and Whittier Christian High School in southern California.

In the fall of 1994, Bill felt God's call to move to Louisville, KY where he served as Superintendent at Christian Academy of Louisville. Under Bill's leadership, CAL grew from its' Rock Creek campus with 481 students to its' expansion to the English Station campus, in addition to adding 2 more campuses – CAL Southwest and Christian Academy of Indiana, to serve over 3,000 students. After retiring from Christian Academy in 2007, Bill went on to serve as Interim Superintendent at Whitefield Christian Academy for 3 years. At the conclusion of his time there, he returned to Christian Academy to serve as a substitute teacher as well as an advisor/mentor to other Christian schools in the area.

In 1978, he was instrumental in the development of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and served as Chairman on its founding board of directors. ACSI offers educational support, training and resources for Christian schools and now has a membership of over 5,000 schools worldwide.

Bill deeply loved the students, faculty and staff that he served over the course of his career and had the gift of recalling the names of almost everyone he encountered. Bill had a heart for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and was instrumental in starting a missions program for high school students that involved 20 trips to Russia, a country very dear to his heart. Known for his infectious smile, encouraging words and his ability to always see the best in people, he made a deep impact on the lives of countless people all over the world. Bill cherished his role as "Pop Pop" and made the most of every minute he was able to spend with his 4 grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife, Theresa McKinley, brother, Douglas McKinley (Linda McKinley) of Frankfort, KY; daughter, Erin Hendrix (Grant Hendrix) of Louisville, KY, and a son, Dr. Paul McKinley (Kate McKinley) of Long Beach, CA; 4 grandchildren – McKinley Hendrix, Kaden Hendrix, Grayson McKinley and Amanda McKinley. He was preceded in death by a son, Jonathan McKinley and a sister, Martha McKinley.

Visitation will be held on Friday, August 5, 2022 at Newcomer Cremations, Funerals, & Receptions (235 Juneau Drive, Louisville, Kentucky 40243) from 4:00pm - 8:00pm.

Visitation will also be held on Saturday, August 6, 2022 at the The Block at Southeast Christian Church (920 Blankenbaker Pkwy, Louisville, KY 40243) from 10:00am - 11:00am, with funeral service to follow at 11:00am. Please use Entrance 4 off Watterson Trail for parking. Burial will take place at Resthaven Memorial Park (4400 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY 40218).

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