Graveside services for Blanche Marie McKinney, 89, of West Plains, Missouri, will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 9, 2026, at the Ozark Cemetery, Houston, Missouri, under the direction of Robertson-Drago Funeral Home.
Blanche Marie McKinney passed away on Sunday, July 5, 2026, at Ozarks Healthcare in West Plains. She was born on June 17, 1937, in Clara, Missouri to John and Elva (Boster) Scheets. She grew up helping her parents in their store.
Blanche graduated from Houston High School in 1955. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in education in 1958 from Southwest Missouri State College, a master’s degree in English from Washington University in 1968 and a master’s degree in Library Science in 1989 from University of Missouri-Columbia. For 35 years, Blanche taught in various high schools including Mountain Grove, Houston and four different schools in Springfield. During her time at Houston, she also assisted her husband, Edgar, in running their store, Yukon Antiques and Music Store at their farm in Yukon, Missouri. After retiring from teaching, Blanche sold World Books for five years. Then she taught at Southwest Missouri State University-West Plains and Southwest Baptist University in Mountain View for approximately 15 years. During this time, she was also director of the Texas County Library system for two years.
On June 18, 1960, Blanche married Edgar Duane McKinney in Mountain Grove, Missouri. Up until Blanche lost Ed, she enjoyed attending bluegrass festivals and listening to him play music with his band. She was a genealogy enthusiast and along with Ed she published a book in 1985 titled “Five Generations of Henry McKinney’s Descendants in Texas County, Missouri.” They revised and updated the book over the last 30 years, and shortly after Ed’s death, Blanche published the new edition titled “Five Generations of Descendants of Henry McKinney” in late 2021. She also enjoyed cooking for others, reading and spending time with family and friends. Blanche was a member of the Ozark Spring Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution and Xi Chapter, Delta Kappa Gamma.
Blanche is survived by her son, Fredric Duane, and her daughter-in-law, Rebekah, of West Plains; sister-in-law, Karen; brother-in-law, Dr. Dan Lawson, of Cleveland, Tennessee; two nephews, Dr. Matt Lawson (Courtney) of Franklin, Tennessee and Miles Lawson (Katelyn), of Oak Ridge, Tennessee; niece, Chandler Flynn (Chuck), of Indianapolis, Indiana; two great-nieces, Luisa and Margaret; one great-nephew, Bodhi; and one grand-dog, Jazz.
In addition to her parents, Blanche was preceded in death by her husband, Edgar, and daughter, Laura Elizabeth.
Visitation is from 6 to 8 p.m. July 8, 2026, at Robertson-Drago Funeral Home. Memorials can be made to Ozark Cemetery or Ozarks Heritage Research Center and may be left at or mailed to Robertson-Drago Funeral Home, 211 West Main, West Plains, Missouri 65775.
