Obituary of Alexander Allister McKinnon

McKINNON - On Saturday, December 27, 2008, Alexander Allister McKinnon, late of Regina, passed away at the age of ninety-four years. He was born on August 18, 1914 in Hillsburgh, Ontario, to Richard and Mary Agnes (Steele) McKinnon. In 1915 his family moved to Saskatchewan, homesteading in Sherwood Municipality. He attended schools in Regina and graduated in 1941 from the University of Saskatchewan with a B.E. in agricultural engineering and was recruited as a test engineer for the RCAF. In the same year he married Audrey England in Toronto. Always an innovative farmer, Al and fellow farmer Wes Kirby developed an early direct-seeding disker in 1945, later used as a prototype for farm-implement manufacturers. In 1946, while farming southwest of Regina, he began teaching first-year engineering at Regina College and continued until his retirement in 1977. From 1958-1966 he also served as Superintendent of Buildings for the University of Regina. Following retirement he became a farm machinery consultant for Agriculture Canada, serving in Tanzania and the Sudan. He was an avid researcher of farm implement history, giving numerous presentations in the area. He was an enthusiastic Saskatchewan Roughriders fan, with season tickets from 1951 until last year. Al was predeceased by his parents, his wife, his son Robert, and sisters Grace Pine, Marjorie McKinnon, Ruth Stemshorn, and Flora McKinnon. Al approached life with great joy and a positive attitude. He will be lovingly remembered by family: his brother Thomas McKinnon, sister Katherine McKinnon, several brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law; his daughters Eleanor (James) Coomber and Lynda (Gary) Skelton; daughter-in-law Elsie McKinnon; his grandchildren Sarah (Jon Suomala) Coomber, Matthew (Sarah) Coomber, Richard Skelton, Katherine (Alex Rogalski) Skelton, Ian McKinnon, Mary (Jeff Barnet) McKinnon, and Anne (Michael Bernardin) McKinnon; five great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews, as well as many friends. A memorial service will be held in the summer at Speers Funeral Chapel in Regina. Memorials may be given to a charity of choice. An online book of condolences may be signed at www.speersfuneralchapel.com