Obituaries » Maxine L. Kinney Smith
Maxine L. Kinney Smith
September 18, 1924 - August 27, 2021
Service Date: September 4, 2021
Cemetery US National Cemetery #1
Church Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home
Saturday, September 4, 2021.
Obituary Viewed 2722 times
Posted by:
Cheryl (Schilling) Wright
Posted on:
September 4, 2021
Mrs. Kinney inspired in me a love of literature and grammar. I was blessed to have had her for a teacher and will always remember her fondly. Doug, you were certainly a source of laughter and fun back in the day. Your mother's legacy lives on through you and the rest of her family.
Posted by:
Cherie Tinker
Posted on:
September 4, 2021
Mrs. (Kinney) Smith was my freshman English teacher at Fort Scott High School 1993-1994. I had just moved to from Joplin that summer, and she was a kind soul making me feel comfortable in a new system. I remember the knowledge and love she had for English and literature and how she passed them on to us. She continued to fuel my love for literature and my skill for writing even more. I remember so many of the stories we read as she brought out the nuances in them. She was a kind and beautiful soul, that made us feel like we could achieve anything. She never belittled anyone, only encouraged and uplifted. She served as a wonderful role model as how to educate students with care and compassion that I work diligently to show in my teaching to this day. I happened to see her at the Good Ol Days years back, and I stopped her and told her what a wonderful teacher she had been. She was so pleased. We don’t tell teachers enough the positive and beneficial differences that they make, but now I’m so glad that last time I saw her I told her she made a difference. She was an amazing lady. I’m fortunate to have had her as a teacher. May she receive her reward for all her kindnesses and hard work through those many years.
Posted by:
Karla Davis Stevens
Posted on:
September 4, 2021
Maxine was a wonderful mentor to so many. She allowed many FSCC students to observe and interact with her classes, fulfilling some of our pre-teaching requirements. I was one who got to observe and interact with her at FS Junior High in the 1970s. She was a wonderful joyful lady. May God bless your family. Karla Davis Stevens
Posted by:
Linda Turner-McCann
Posted on:
September 3, 2021
I, also, was one of the privileged persons that was inspired by her gifted way of teaching.
Posted by:
Doug Lockwood
Posted on:
September 3, 2021
What an beautiful lady! Maxine, my second cousin, was an incredibly inspirational person. As a teacher she touched the lives of many people from all walks of life. She had an insatiable desire to learn and to share. She had an adventurous spirit… she was mentally acute and sharp as a tack…. I have lived in Alaska since 1974. We spent time with Maxine and Charlie when they came to visit Alaska several years ago. She loved the adventure, the State of Alaska, it’s people. She questioned, learned, absorbed. When she left Alaska she probably knew about as much about the state as I did.? When we traveled to Fort Scott over the years we usually stopped at Maxine’s house. She was hospitable, welcoming and always had lots of goodies to eat. We never left hungry! Doug (and Mary) Lockwood ????
Posted by:
Kathy Perry Coley
Posted on:
September 1, 2021
Mrs. Kinney was one of my favorite teachers. I still remember reading Dickens, “Great Expectations “ in her class. She let me help her grade papers after school and paid me in quarters and a trip to the pop machine in the teachers lounge. She was a great teacher and a beautiful woman inside and out. So sorry for your loss, Doug and Judy. Kathy Perry Coley
Posted by:
Gary W Borg
Posted on:
September 1, 2021
Mrs. Kinney's 9th grade English class was a sort of pinnacle event for me at a time when I was otherwise inclined to just coast in school. As I recall she conveyed a kind of personal commitment to the richness and worth of what she taught. It really came through and won the quiet respect of students who, at other times in other places, weren't always so attentive. Decades later I've had time to reflect on the teachers who began to shape us all in Fort Scott schools in the '60s and into the '70s, and I'm somewhat amazed at the energy and conviction so many of them brought to their classes. They clearly cared for us and for their subject matter, a pretty cool combination. Among them, Mrs. Kinney was a standout.
Posted by:
Regina Caldwell Middleton
Posted on:
August 30, 2021
Mrs. Kinney was my 9th Grade English teacher, 69-70. She introduced me to many different types of literature. She told me that I "had talent" and encouraged me to write my own short stories. She also taught me to diagram the most complicated of sentences, a skill that I used to amaze my teacher and classmates after I moved to IL in the 11th Grade! My sincerest sympathy to Judy, Doug and their families. She made a difference in the lives of so many students. She will be missed. Regina Caldwell Middleton