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Victoria S. McKinley passed away Wednesday, October 31, peacefully and surrounded by loved ones. Vicky is survived by her loving husband of 53 years, Kenneth L. McKinley, and by her children Lance McKinley, Lisa (Dean) Vest, Jane (Perry) DiCampo, Barbara (Mark) Alexander, Meridith McKinley (Jeffrey Winzerling), and eight grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her first husband, David Overaker, and by her son Scott Sutton Overaker McKinley.

Vicky was born Victoria Sutton in Springfield, IL, on March 10, 1938, the second daughter of Robert Sutton and Jane (White) Sutton. Following high school, Vicky married David Overaker and joined him in Champaign-Urbana, where he was an engineering student at the University of Illinois. The couple welcomed two children, Scott and Lance, while in Champaign and had a third child, Jane, after returning to Springfield. Following Dave’s untimely death in 1963, Vicky worked for then-state Senator Charles “Chuck” Percy. In 1965 at the behest of her sister-in-law, Vicky traveled to Chicago for a blind date with Ken McKinley, a young widower with two young daughters, Lisa and Barbara. The date ended with a marriage proposal from Ken, and the couple was married a few months later blending the two families as one. The family moved from Chicago to St. Louis in 1968, where Vicky and Ken together welcomed a sixth child, Meridith.

In 1978, Vicky and several women in her Chesterfield, MO neighborhood formed the River Blenders, a critically acclaimed acapella chorus affiliated with Sweet Adelines International. Vicky became the chief choreographer early on and helped guide the chorus to multiple international awards. She remained in that role until her move to Savannah, GA in 2002 following Ken’s retirement.

Vicky volunteered at her children’s school, organized countless neighborhood events, created dresses at her Singer sewing console, laughed often, directed the River Bend Repertory Company, learned to play drums, wrote music, drove a cool convertible, championed the under-served and those without a voice, represented Doncaster clothing, enjoyed life-long friends, mourned the loss of a child, and adored her grandchildren. She will always be remembered for her infectious smile and effervescent personality.

A memorial service is planned for Wednesday, November 14, 11:00 am at the Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO 63117. Lunch will follow.

In her memory, the family requests that donations in her name be given to:

Cure PSP
https://www.psp.org/

St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
https://www.stjude.org/about-st-jude/faq/how-can-i-donate-to-st-jude.html

St. Louis ArtWorks
http://stlartworks.org/support/