Obituary of Artis McKinzie

Artis L. McKinzie, 86, of Freehold passed away on Monday, March 14th at Meridian Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Shrewsbury, NJ. He was born in Philadelphia, PA and raised in Bay City, Florida. He previously resided in the Bronx, NY before moving to Freehold after suffering a stroke. Mr. McKinzie served in the navy as a cook during WWII from 1943 to 1945. During his time in the service he was awarded the WW II Victory Medal, the American Theatre Medal and the Asiatic-Pacific Theatre Medal. He also became a boxer in the welter weight division with the distinction of having never been knocked out during any of his bouts. After leaving the service he continued on with his semi-professional boxing career while working as a chauffeur. He met and married Ethel Pennington in 1946 and from this union came three children; Patricia, Mary Juanita and Artis McKinzie Jr. He and Ethel also formed M&M Cleaners, an office cleaning and floor waxing business. After retiring as a chauffeur, he became a bus driver for NYC Transit Authority retiring after 25 years. During his tenure as a bus driver he was cited numerous times for his gracious, humorous and courteous treatment of his passengers. Mr. McKinzie was a faithful parishioner of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in the Bronx until he moved to Freehold. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, the American Legion and was an Auxiliary Transit Police Officer. He was also an avid boxing fan and belonged to three bowling leagues. He loved jazz music and enjoyed dancing as well as cracking jokes. He leaves to mourn his loss his daughter Patricia Scurdy and son-in-law Leonard, his daughter Mary Juanita Harris and son-in-law Richard, his son Artis McKinzie Jr. and daughter-in-law Janet, eight grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren. Visiting at the Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524) Freehold Township on Saturday, March 19, 2011 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend his funeral service to following at 4:00 PM on Saturday at the funeral home. Entombment is scheduled for Monday, March 21, 2011 at Rose Hill Memorial Park, Putnam Valley, New York. For information, directions or condolence messages to the family, please visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com.