L. Dean McKinley, 90, of Delray Beach, Florida, formerly of Belleville, IL, born Friday, January 11, 1918, in Freeburg, Illinois, died Friday, October 24, 2008 at home.
Dean attended Belleville Township High School and graduated from the University of Illinois at Champaign with a B.S. in Banking and Finance. He was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. During World War, II, he served with the United States Air Force in the Sudan.
Dean was the retired president of L.R. McKinley & Sons Chevrolet, Belleville's Chevrolet Dealer for 54 years. He was the president of the Belleville Auto Investment Company, the Belleville Auto Dealers Association and the Illinois State Auto Dealers Association.
A life long member of the United Methodist Church, Dean served as Chairman of the Board and the Building Committee for 20 years. Under his leadership, the present church building was designed, financed and constructed. He was chairman of the official board in 1950 when the Jackson Street Methodist Church and the First Methodist Church of Belleville joined to form the Union United Methodist Church.
He was instrumental in the establishment of the Memorial Hospital and served on its board for many years. He was a founding member of the Belleville YMCA and was the recipient of their Lamplighter of the Year award in 2007. Additionally, Dean worked tirelessly to attain accreditation for McKendree College. In 1999 he received an honorary Doctorate degree from the College, now McKendree University.
He served on the board of directors of the Belleville Savings Bank, the Belleville National Bank, and Green Mount Cemetery. He was co-founder and past president of the St. Clair County Taostmasters Club, a past president of the Belleville Rotary Club and the Belleville Red Cross Chapter. He also received the Young Business of the Year award from the Belleville Chamber of Commerce. An avid golfer, Dean was a member of the St. Clair Country Club and the Delray Beach Club.
He is preceded in death by:
He is survived by:
Memorials: The family requests in lieu of flowers donations be given to Union United Methodist Church, 721 E. Main Street, Belleville, IL 62220 or Covenant House New York, (a charity providing food, lodging and counseling for disadvantaged youth) 460 W 41st New York, NY 10036.
Funeral: Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am Saturday, November 1, 2008 at Union United Methodist Church, with Rev. Ed Weston officiating. The family will receive friends in the McKinley Hall immediately following the service. Burial will be private.
