JoAnn Davis Obituary

JoAnn H. Davis passed away on April 13, 2025, at the age of 81, at the Brandon Woods Senior Living facility. She was born April 20, 1943, in Maple Hill, a suburb of Topeka Kansas. She graduated as Valedictorian from Silver Lake High School in 1961. She was the daughter of John Henry Smith and Irene Frances Bullock.

She started work with Volume Shoe in Topeka, Kansas in 1976 as secretary in the Real Estate location and Construction division, acquired on-the-job expertise and was forever upward from then on!

By 1983, she was an Assistant Vice President and Administrative Director. She was named one of the top 10 businesswomen in the nation by the American Businesswomen's Association (ABWA) and honored at the Las Vegas convention of the ABWA.

She was a member of the Topeka chapter of ABWA since 1979 and was Vice President of the chapter. She was selected as the Topeka Career Chapter's Woman of the Year, which qualified her along with more than 2,000 other businesswomen for consideration for the national honor. Her national award was based on advancement in business, continuing education and involvement in community affairs.

She was a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, the women's division of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, the Everywoman's Resource Center, President of the Topeka Youth Project Inc. and the co-chairman of Volume Shoe corporation committee.

Subsequently Volume Shoe changed its name to Payless Shoe Source (PSS with over 4,400 stores). In 1984 she was promoted to Director of Rest Estate and Construction for the PSS regional business office located in Dallas, Texas.

In 1985 she married Bob McKinney, Vice President of Information Technology at PSS.

In 1989 she was recruited by Trans World Music in Albany, NY as V.P. of Real Estate and Construction. In 1993, she returned to her home in Lawrence Kansas.

JoAnn started a business providing consulting services to similar expanding chain store retailers for location and constructing new stores. One of her clients, Gymboree Children's Clothing Store, headquartered in California, offered her the position of V.P. She accepted and with her husband moved to Half Moon Bay, CA.

In 1999 they returned home and with her husband enjoyed traveling to every state in the union, except North Dakota. They also enjoyed international travel visiting friends located in Ireland, England, Scotland, Italy, New Zealand, Australia and Germany.

JoAnn is survived by her husband Robert McKinney of Lawrence, her daughter Jonette Luellen (Michael) of Rossville, Susan Schmidtberger (Mark) of Lawrence, and Robert McKinney Jr. (Chris) of Claremore, Oklahoma, and her siblings, Jan Kies of Florida and Raymond Smith of California. JoAnn was preceded in death by her sisters Elaine Mohler, Marilyn Laird. God blessed JoAnn with 11 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. JoAnn was known "as a very classy lady" and highly respected by her peers. She was always outgoing, engaging, and made friends easily and had many of them.

A celebration of life will be held at 10am on May 31st at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church 5905 SW 10th Avenue. Light refreshments and lots of dear memories shared following the service.