Edwin "Ed"McKinley

Edwin D. “Ed” McKinley, 86, of Gridley, IL passed away at 1 a.m. on Friday, February 20, 2026, Fairview Haven, Fairbury, IL.

Funeral services will be 11:00 AM on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Calvert-Johnson & Froelich Memorial Home, Flanagan with Pastor Ben Blobaum officiating. Burial with military rites will follow at Gridley Cemetery. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the memorial home on Saturday. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorials be made to Gridley Emergency Medical Services.

Ed was born October 29, 1939, in Gridley, IL the son of Theodore and Ethel Whisman McKinley. He married Mary Lynn Ballantyne on April 12, 1975, in Minonk, IL. She died October 12, 2015.

He survived by four nieces Pam (Jeff) Franzen of Flanagan, Debbie (Curt) Foster of Roswell, GA, Diane (Rod) Litwiller of Tremont, and Mary Lynn Gehrett of Austin, TX as well as four nephews Greg (Shela) McKinley of Flanagan, Terry Franzen of Bloomington, Andy and Doug Willsie.

He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother T. Gene Mc Kinley, and one sister Mary Franzen.

Ed was a member of the Flanagan Christian Church. He was proud to be a US Army veteran who had basic training at Fort Still, Oklahoma, then served in Germany in field artillery supply services. He enjoyed traveling to Wisconsin and other trips with his wife, Lynn. He farmed in the Gridley and Flanagan area with his brother Gene and nephew Greg for many years.