Frank Edward Kinney

FRANK EDWARD KINNEY

Cedar Rapids

Frank Edward Kinney, 93, of Cedar Rapids, passed away on Aug. 24, 2018, surrounded by his family at home.

Frank is survived by his children, Susan Westerdahl of Cedar Rapids, Daniel Kinney (Joan) of Fort Collins, Colo., Jane Kinney of Miami, Fla., and Andrew (Zyann) Kinney of Edwardsville, Ill.; grandchildren, Zach Westerdahl (Iona), Tyler Westerdahl, Nolan Kinney, Eric Kinney, Kara Kinney and Rachel Kinney; and great-grandchildren, Arrow and Lulu Westerdahl. He also is survived by his special friend of many years, Elinor Day.

He was preceded in death by his parents; Fred and Margaret Kinney; wife, Donna Lessard Kinney (1998); son, Christopher Kinney (2005); sisters, Mary Frances Davison and Helen Copley; and brother, Joe Kinney.

Frank was born July 21, 1925, in Des Moines but lived in Cedar Rapids the rest of his life. He graduated from Franklin High School in 1943. Frank was a World War II veteran, entering the U.S. Navy Air Force V-5 program in 1943. While in the Navy, he attended Mississippi College and the University of North Carolina. After his honorable discharge in 1945, he attended Coe College on the GI Bill, where he played football and studied art under Marvin Cone, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He attended graduate school at the University of Iowa.

Frank enjoyed a long and exceptional career, which encompassed graphic design, advertising, illustration and painting for more than 70 years. He joined Ambro Advertising Agency in 1949 as an artist, later becoming art director. He then started his own agency, Frank Kinney Advertising Art, serving clients throughout Iowa, such as Amana Refrigeration, Iowa Electric, Rockwell Collins, Meredith Publishing, Maytag, John Deere, Musco Lighting, Bandag and many others.

In the early '70s, he was one of the first members of the Iowa Watercolor Society, becoming a signature member. Frank was a prolific painter, working in a number of mediums. He did many oil portraits and landscapes but he found watercolor his most comfortable method of painting.

His schedule always was arranged around U of I football and basketball and Cubs baseball.

Frank will be dearly missed, not only for his "Kinney style" of painting, but for his generous Irish wit, humor and wisdom, positive outlook, jokes that he enjoyed almost as much as the listener, gratitude for family and friends and for his ability to find something to laugh about every day of his life.

A service will be held at Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories on Saturday, Sept. 1, with visitation at 1 p.m. and a funeral service at 2:30 p.m. Inurnment at Mount Calvary Cemetery at a later date with family.

Please direct memorials to Hospice of Mercy.

Online condolences may be directed to the family at www.cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.