Emelia Irene Kinney

Emelia Irene (“Renie”) Kinney passed away peacefully at home on January 19, 2022, in University Place, WA. She was born May 20, 1939 to Sophia Phlippen Steenhard and Coenraad Steenhard in Madioen, Java, Indonesia. Her childhood was marked by living through World War II during the Japanese occupation of Indonesia (the former Dutch East Indies) during which time the family lived in internment camps in both Java and Thailand. Following the end of WWII, the family again experienced the hardships of the Indonesian civil war of independence from the Netherlands known as the Bresiap. In 1951, after Indonesian independence, Renie’s mother immigrated to The Netherlands with her six children.

Renie lived in The Netherlands where she completed her high school education. It was there that she met her first husband Edward Reyes (USAF, deceased), marrying in 1958; they divorced in 1985. As a military spouse, Renie came to the United States in 1959, living first in Fairfield, California until 1963, after which her former husband was posted to Hahn Air Force Base in Germany where they lived until 1966, returning to the US for his new posting to McChord Air Force Base (now Joint Base Lewis-McChord) in Lakewood, Washington.

While raising her family, Renie worked as a federal civil service employee, and in 1974 became a flight records clerk at McChord AFB until her retirement in 2005. During this time she met her husband of 35 years, David E. Kinney. Together they lived in Arizona, California, before returning to live in University Place, WA. Renie was a quintessential news hound always keeping current with world events. She especially enjoyed watching crime solving and detective shows, reading from her Kindle, entertaining friends, watching hummingbirds feed outside her window, and spoiling her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Renie is survived by her husband David E. Kinney, sons David J. Reyes (Stephen), Michael A. Reyes (Benilda), Raymond P. Reyes Sr., (Jacqueline), Wayne A. Reyes (Jamie), Kenneth J. Reyes, Sr., Stephen E. Reyes, and daughters Corinne Reyes Pang and Susan Kinney. She is also survived by 19 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, her sister Yvonne G.Steenhard and brothers John H. Steenhard, Christopher H. Steenhard and Frank R. Steenhard. Renie is preceded in death by her parents Sophia and Coenraad Steenhard, and brother Hubertus C. Steenhard.

A private family viewing will take place on Monday, February 7, 2022, 2pm - 5pm at Gaffney Funeral Home, and a Funeral Mass celebrating Renie’s life will be held on Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at 9:00 am at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 7112 S 12th St, Tacoma, WA 98465. Committal to be held at a later date at the San Fernando Mission, Mission Hills, CA.