Mary Frances Kinley (also known as Murph by William, family, and friends) passed away peacefully on April 15, 2022, with her loving husband of 41 years, Bill Kinley by her side.
Mary was born on September 21, 1945, in Winfield, Kansas, and is survived by her family: Jennifer Fry, Katherine Slicker (Chris), Tyler Kinley (Kayla), Eric Braysmith (Hilary), Craig Smith (Kathy), Tricia Kinley (Steve) and her grandchildren, Kaitlin, Madison, Walker, Matthew, Jennifer, Stephanie, and great grandson Tatum along with her brother, Larry, and sister, Vandy. She is preceded in death by her mother, Dorothy Cole, her father, Roy Klages, and her step-mother, Ida Klages.
In 1980, Mary and Bill married, creating a blended family of five children, and later added one more to create the “gang of six” children and the larger “Kinley clan.”
Murph’s knack for creative family get-togethers with grace, love, and humor kept her family boisterously together. In addition, her gift for orchestrating wonderful gatherings extended beyond family as she worked with philanthropic organizations and organized fundraising events. With subtle, effective leadership skills, she delighted and charmed many, dedicating an extraordinary amount of her warmth, time, talents, and treasure to a wide range of organizations in support of education, social services, the arts, and the environment. Most recently the Arts Alliance recognized her with a Philanthropist of the Year award. She was an effective leader, serving, for example, as President of the Board of Governors of the Michigan League and the U of M Waterman Alumnae Group. As an extraordinary volunteer planner, she created successful fundraising events for Riverside Arts Center, SOS Community Services, Huron River Watershed Council, and Washtenaw Community College.
Mary had a Master’s Degree in Education specializing in Gerontology from U of M, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology. She was an avid reader, a natural talent at designing beautiful interior spaces, creative cooking, and a master at nurturing the most quirky pets who were always devoted to her. Mary received many recognitions of service and achievement.
Mary will be dearly missed but she lives on in the memories, stories, and moments of joy she gave to those fortunate enough to have spent time with her.
A private family burial took place at Forest Hill Cemetery, and a public service occurred at 2 p.m. on April 25 at First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor, 1432 Washtenaw Ave.
The family would welcome any contributions to the Mary F. Kinley Scholarship Fund at the University of Michigan League (University of Michigan fund 799606), or to SOS Community Services: 101 S. Huron St.,Ypsilanti, MI 48197 (soscs.org).
