James Brown McKenney Col. USMC Retired

Published 2:48 pm Thursday, November 10, 2022

Nov. 27, 1943 — Nov. 5, 2022

James B. McKenney, Col. USMC Retired, 78 of Farmville, died Nov. 5, at Heritage Hall Blackstone.

He was born in Magnolia, Mississippi. He was the eldest son of Gilbert James McKenney and Vescie Brown McKenney of McComb, Mississippi.

He was the first of eight children and preceded in death by his parents and four brothers Mike, Philip, Lenox and Harris.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 31 years Sharon Carter-McKenney of Farmville; three sisters, Joyce Layton, Corliss Morgan and Adelia Hartzog and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was a true Marine to the core and a Vietnam Veteran. He was a squadron pilot in ChuLai Vietnam, Comptroller Third Marine Aircraft Wing, El Toro, California; Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy; Director of Intelligence, Okinawa, Japan; Director of Navel Audit Service Western Region; Comptroller Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Okinawa, Japan and Comptroller Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California.

He was stationed in Pensacola, Florida; New River, North Carolina; Beaufort, South Carolina; Vietnam; Yuma, Arizona; Auburn, Alabama; Iwakuni, Japan; Arlington; Washington D.C.; El Toro, California; Okinawa, Japan and San Diego, California.

His civilian career included being a Certified Fraud Examiner, an Internal Auditor at LSU Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana and a professor for the Dept. of Agriculture.

He received a BAM/MBA from Auburn University and an AMP from Harvard Business School.

He was interested in growing fruit in a home orchard in Washington State, making dimensional lumber with his own trees and sawmill, raising chickens, building a wood burning bread oven, patios and walls from stone and learning how to “Flint Nap” his own arrowheads from chert and obsidian.

He volunteered as a driver for the VA medical transport in Portland, Oregon; first responder for Search & Rescue in Deschutes County Oregon; volunteer Park Ranger for the U.S. Park Service in Bandelier National Monument on Tsankawi Trail; White Sands National Park in New Mexico and Pacific Crest Trail worker cutting hiking and horse trails in the forest.

To remember Jim, donations may be made to: St Theresa’s Catholic Church, Farmville; the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle; Southside SPCA Meherrin; DAV Disabled American Veterans or to the Parkinson’s Foundation.

A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 10 a.m., in St Theresa’s Catholic Church with interment in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

Puckett Funeral Home is serving the family. www.puckettfh.com.