Denise peacefully went to sleep, awaiting her Savior’s return, Sunday, April 22, 2012 in Asheville, N.C.
Born Sept. 9, 1953 in Wichita, Kansas, she was the daughter of Delbert (deceased) and Dorothy Hornbeck of Mill Spring.
She is survived by her husband, Gary McKinney; three sons, Jason Carney (Jerusha), Matt McKinney (Rachel) and Nathan McKinney (Christine), all of Candler, N.C.; a daughter, Alicia McKinney (Nick), also of Candler; mother, Dorothy Hornbeck; brother, Delvin Hornbeck (Laura Kay) of Mill Spring; eight grandchildren, Noah and Micah Carney, William and Tommy McKinney and Britney, Jordan, Jesse and Natalie McKinney.
She graduated from Madison Academy in Madison, Tenn. in 1972 and Southern University in Collegedale, Tenn. in 1975, with a degree in nursing. Denise started her nursing career working for Dr. Roy Morgan of Columbus for several years before moving to Memphis, Tenn., where she did private duty nursing. Upon moving back to Asheville, N.C., she did home health care nursing for many years. For the last 13 years, she had worked as school nurse for the last few years for Christ Church School in Arden, N.C. She had a great love for caring for people, especially children.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 28, 3 p.m. at the Pisgah Seventh-Day Adventist Academy Church in Candler, N.C., where she served as head deaconess for many years.
In lieu of flowers, it was Denise’s wish that memorials be made to Mount Pisgah Academy, 75 Academy Dr., Candler, N.C. 28715, that some deserving young person might be helped.