Sonya Ann McKinzie

Sonya Ann McKinzie

1933-2024

Sonya A. McKinzie was born April 8, 1933, in Bartlesville, OK to T.E. and Lurena L. (Hoyland) Smiley.  Losing her mother at 16 forced her to learn to cook and help take care of the household at an early age, which she passed on to her sons.  Her father remarried and Sonya and her brother Bob soon had a good and loving stepmother in Elizabeth (Betty) Hall.  Sonya graduated from Bartlesville College High and then went on to Oklahoma University to study business. She soon met Charles L. McKinzie who was studying to become a pharmacist.  They married on August 8, 1954. Charlie having gone to school on the G.I Bill, was sent to Fort Sill, OK after graduation to complete his service in the U.S. Army.  Sonya and Charlie made lifelong friends during that time.  After his service was completed, they moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma.   This is where they started their family, first Jim and then David.  As the boys grew older and were in school Sonya found her passion for art again and learned to Tole Paint.  She gradually moved to watercolor which was her first love.  She was a founding member of the National Society of Tole and Decorative Painters and taught in Tulsa and around the country, seminars on Decorative Watercolor.  She had a booth at War Eagle, AR annual Craft Fair for many years selling her tole painting and art.  

Charlie found an opportunity to buy a drug store in 1978.   Charlie, Sonya and David moved to Anderson, Missouri and ran Bell Drug, later named Village Pharmacy.  Six months after they moved there, David passed away.     Although Sonya continued teaching watercolor seminars across the country for a few more years, she realized that she needed to help more at the drug store.  They started adding more gifts and eventually took over the old drug store space and turned it into The Perfect Gift.  She focused her art talents on the gift shop business and successfully operated the store until 2012.  Charlie had passed away and she decided to move to Independence, Missouri in 2014 to be closer with her son Jim.  This talented, beautiful person left us on March 4, 2024.

She is survived by her oldest son James L. McKinzie and her brother Dr. Robert H. Smiley and sister-in-law Kathy.  Plus, many adored nieces and nephews and their children.

Visitation at First Presbyterian Church, Independence, Missouri Friday, March 15^th, 1:00pm with service at 2:00pm.  Burial will be in Anderson, Missouri at the Anderson Cemetery on Saturday, March 16^th at 1:00pm