Janice Elaine (Wanamaker) McKinnis

Janice Elaine (Wanamaker) McKinnis, 87, passed away on December 11, 2024, in Escondido, Calif.

She was born on December 1, 1937, in Clay Center, Kansas. She was the daughter of Howard and Grace Wanamaker, and big sister to Gary and Bruce Wanamaker. The family moved to Stockton, Kansas, in the early forties. 

Janice excelled in anything related to music. She graduated from Stockton High School in 1955 and left Stockton to get her B.A. in Music Education from the University of Kansas. She graduated in 1959. 

Prior to graduating, she married her sweetheart, Craig McKinnis, on a cold winter day in Stockton, Kansas, in 1958. They welcomed a son, Michael, into the world in 1959.

After graduating, Janice taught at Perry Elementary School in Perry, Kansas, where she coached girls basketball; as an ardent KU basketball fan, the assignment was fitting! 

The family moved to San Diego on July 10, 1961, when Craig got a job at General Dynamics. Her twin daughters, Kerri and Lynne, were born in 1963. She and Craig purchased their home in 1965, where they lived for 55 years. Also, in 1965, Janice obtained her California Teachers Credential and somehow survived as a substitute teacher for many years.

Janice directed children's choirs at St. Marks United Methodist for 25 years. She also directed the women's bell choir for 11 years, and the youth "folk choir" for two. 

From 1976-1977, Janice earned a Certificate in Orff at SDSU so she could teach piano at her home studio. At one point, she had 17 students.

In 1983, Janice began teaching music in San Diego Unified, where she traveled to three elementary schools with her wagon full of instruments. In 1990, SDUSD began the prep-time program, giving classroom teachers preparation time while their students received music instruction. She taught with the prep time program for ten years. Nearly 40 years after receiving her college diploma, Janice finally got her wish: in 1990, she had her own music classroom at Doyle Elementary.

Janice had a brief break in teaching in 1992 when she and Craig moved to Tucson as a result of a restructuring at General Dynamics. When they returned to San Diego in 1996, she was again assigned to teach music and taught until her retirement in 2001. Janice was honored to direct the San Diego Unified Elementary Honor Choir in 2005. 

After retirement, Janice and Craig traveled extensively, taking river cruises on the major rivers in Europe, among other destinations. 

Janice started her quilting career with Prayers and Squares at First United Methodist Church, then joined the Busy Bees, another quilting group. Over the years, she sewed at least 20 prayer quilts and created beautiful quilts for her children and grandchildren. Each grandchild received a special quilt when they graduated high school. She was making a quilt for her nephew Steven's wedding when she suffered her stroke on May 13, 2024.

Janice's primary professional goal in life was teaching children to appreciate music and to sing, and she accomplished this goal many times over through many generations. After retirement, she volunteered for Symphony Outreach, where she prepared students to attend performances of Peter and the Wolf. She joked that her epitaph should read “Janice McKinnis: Champion of Lost Causes.” We hope she knew the impact she had on everyone around her and that her causes were not lost.

Janice is survived by her husband Craig; son Michael (Elizabeth); daughters Lynne Shinohara (Yas), and Kerri De Rosier (David); grandchildren Kevin McKinnis, Chelsea McKinnis-Ruim (Ben), Bryce and Shelley Shinohara, and Sarah De Rosier (Matt Dockery); brothers Gary Wanamaker (Jo), and Bruce Wanamaker (Janeal) of Kansas City.

A Funeral Service will be held on January 4, 2025, at 1:00 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church of San Diego, in San Diego, Calif.