Art was a country boy who got to fly. He held an ATP license and was rated in many types of aircraft including Hawker Sidley 125m Lear 24a, Falcon DA-20, Mitsubishi U2, Grumman Albatross, L-18, B-17, B-24, B-25, B-26, DC3, F4F Wildcat, Corsair, Sea Fury, T-28, A-26, and all makes of LOA. He was the corporate pilot for Dolph Briscoe before he became governor and King Ranch co-owner, B.K. Johnson. He was also the FBO for Uvalde Municipal Airport and the Piper aircraft dealer. He was an early member of The Confederate Air Force. He proudly passed the flying bug on to many students and family members.
Art, the baby of four boys, was born to Lora and Clyde McKinley in Frio County, Texas on August 10, 1929. He loved his big brothers, Pat, Bob, and Donny, and enjoyed annoying and tagging after them. He was born in the generation when a boy's responsibility included milking cows and gathering eggs each morning, but when World War II broke out, at age 13, his responsibilities expanded to working on the family's water drilling rig punching 2000 foot irrigation wells. By age 16, he was the night driller pulling 12 hour shifts.

After graduating from Pearsall High School, he entered the University of Texas at Austin and joined TELOME coop. After three and a half years there, he left the university to enter Spartan School of Aeronautics at Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he earned an Aircraft and Engine Mechanics certificate from the FAA and he later served as an FAA inspector.

In Tulsa, at Saint Paul's Methodist Church Sunday School class he met the love of his life, Frances Level. They married June 12, 1949 and were married until her death in 2013. They loved to "go, go, go" and together traveled to several continents.

Art served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force attaining the rank of Captain. From 1988 to 1998, he served on the Board of the Medina Electric Coorperative and was a Uvalde County Commissioner from 1983 to1988.

He was a life-long Methodist and was last a member of the Argyle United Methodist Church where he was particularly grateful for the ministry of Kelly Graeber, Anastasia Markina, Jim Kayler, and Chris Schoolcraft.

Art was a generous and kind man who will be missed by many friends and his children Theresa and Jerry Zumwalt of Ponder, and Malcom and Vergie McKinley of Lufkin, and his grandchildren, Trey McKinley of Austin, Elizabeth Aaron and Dustin Hotard of Celina, Stefan McKinley of Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, Noah Zumwalt of Ponder and great grandchildren Addison and Austin Hotard. He is also survived by two sisters-in-law, Bettye Tullos of Denton and Lanell McKinley of Pearsall and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. The family is particularly grateful for the love of Sally Schluntz and Jeannette Scruggs.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Frances, son, Earl, and grandson, Hudson McKinley. He died at home on Sunday, March 29, 2015.
Services will be held Saturday April 11th at Buckhorn Cemetery in Frio County on the Tilden Hwy FM 1582 at 5:00 pm. Casual dress is appropriate for the rustic cemetery.