Gaye McKinney

Gaye McKinney, 72, of Amarillo, Texas, passed away Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

Memorial services will be held at 4:00 p.m. Thursday, September 10, 2026, at Boxwell Brothers Ivy Chapel, 2800 Paramount Blvd.

Gaye was born June 2, 1954, in Elk City, Oklahoma, to Bud and Luzelle Roberson. She graduated from Stratford High School and later made her home in Amarillo, where she raised her three sons, Elliot, James, and John.

Throughout her life, Gaye worked in several different roles, including at Levi Strauss, Love’s Travel Stop, and as a correctional officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Family was especially important to Gaye. She loved her sisters dearly and shared a special bond with them throughout her life. Her grandchildren also held a very special place in her heart, and she loved being their grandmother. The relationships she shared with her family were an important part of her life and remained so until the very end.

Gaye was strong-willed, spirited, and wonderfully herself. She had a personality that was unmistakably her own and was never afraid to speak her mind. Those who knew her knew exactly where she stood, but they also knew how deeply she cared for the people she loved. Her strength, independence, and familiar presence were simply part of who Gaye was, and they are among the many things her family will miss about her.

She enjoyed the simple things that brought her comfort and happiness: reading a good book, listening to country music, spending time with the people she loved, and, of course, Dr Pepper. Anyone who knew Gaye knew just how much she loved her Dr Pepper. It remained one of her favorite comforts throughout her life, right up until the very end. It was a small but unmistakable part of who she was, and one of those familiar things that will always bring her family a reason to smile.

Gaye was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Gary Roberson.

Gaye is survived by her sons, Elliot McKinney and wife, Jana, James McKinney, and John McKinney, all of Amarillo; her sisters, Kaye Gunkel and husband, Ron Hill, and Melody May French and husband, Gary, all of Amarillo; her brother, Rodney Ray Roberson of Houston; and her grandchildren, Jaley, Jacob, Josh, and Dillon.

She is also survived by a large extended family who loved her dearly, including her nieces and nephews, Cody French and wife, Ashby; Mike Hund and wife, Shiloh; Shannon Davis and wife, Pam; Shelby and husband, Michael; Hudson Roberson and wife, Melissa; and Audrey Roberson; as well as numerous great-nieces and great-nephews, extended family members, and friends.

Gaye will be remembered for the woman she was and for the place she held in the lives of those who loved her. Her family will miss her unmistakable spirit, her presence, and all of the little things that made her uniquely herself. Her absence will be felt in conversations between sisters, in moments with her grandchildren, in the pages of a good book, in the country songs she loved, and an ice-cold Dr Pepper.