Margaret Mary McKinney
Margaret was a deeply loved mother, wife, sister, aunt, great aunt, and dear friend of countless individuals. She loved spending time with her extended family including siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws. She was a binding force bringing everyone together. She will be missed by every soul she touched on her different journeys through life and her shining smiling light will live on long after her passing. Margaret’s love for her family and friends was extraordinary, unconditional, and unwavering. The world knew her as an optimistic, enthusiastic, intelligent, brave, and hardworking woman who always strove to give her best energy to all she set out to do.
From childhood, Margaret had a love for storytelling and photography. She turned that love into a 34-year career focusing on public relations and strategic communications. She was an exceptional writer, editor, and photojournalist. One highlight of her early career was serving as the Public Information Officer for Boulder County where she successfully managed the media relations and marketing program, producing numerous award-winning news releases, exhibits, speeches, web content, and more. She also served as the Boulder County media spokesperson, and trained County leaders to best handle media interviews. After settling in New Mexico, Margaret went to work for the New Mexico Children Youth and Family Department and worked tirelessly, covering a nine-county area, to raise public awareness for the need for foster/adoptive parents for children in protective custody. Margaret was able to double the number of foster/adoptive parents during her tenure. She was especially proud of her later career as Staff Writer/Media Relations Liaison for New Mexico Highlands University from 2008 to 2021. She researched, conducted interviews, took newsworthy photos, and wrote articles across all academic disciplines. Margaret was endlessly curious about those she interviewed and was a master at bringing forth their stories and celebrating their successes. Her skill of storytelling enabled outstanding media coverage for Highlands University statewide and her numerous front-page stories were published in the local Las Vegas Optic.
Margaret was born in Weaverville, Calif. on Sept. 29, 1958, the sixth of seven children, to Keith McKinney and Mary (Devine) McKinney. Her father was a high school history teacher and basketball coach who encouraged his children to excel both in their schoolwork and sports. Her mother greatly influenced her children, through love and recognition of each child’s individual talents, to work to reach their full potential. In 1967 the McKinney family moved to Eugene, Ore. as Margaret was entering third grade.
In Eugene, Margaret was an outstanding student athlete. She dedicated much of her time to gymnastics training at the prestigious National Academy of Artistic Gymnastics where she was mentored by former Olympians and Olympic coaches. She graduated from Willamette High school in 1976 and went on to attend the University of Oregon, graduating in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in education and specializing in speech pathology. She was a speech pathologist in Bend, Ore. for two years. She then attended the University of Colorado Boulder earning a master’s degree in journalism and mass communications. She worked for the county commissioner’s office of Boulder County as its public information officer from 1987-2004.
It was here in Boulder in 1991, where Margaret met her husband Roy when she ventured out to a dance club with her dear friend Cindy Bedel. Roy was on his way out the door when he spotted Margaret and immediately knew he had to ask her to dance. Margaret and Roy danced and talked until the music stopped but the connection had been made. Roy was persistent and after a couple months of spending hours talking on the phone, they finally decided to go out on their first real date. Roy and Margaret were virtually inseparable from that day on. On a spring trip to Texas in 1993 to meet Roy’s family, who loved her immediately, Roy proposed on the beach at Port Aransas and the rest is their beautiful history together. Margaret and Roy were married on Flagstaff Mountain, in the Flatirons above Boulder, on a rare rainy but lucky day in Sept. of 1993 and had a wonderful reception at the home of dear friends Lisa and Dave Compton.
After several years of disappointment, they were finally blessed with their first child Caitlin McKinney Diefendorf, her Christmas angel, in Dec. of 1996, and were soon blessed for a second time with the arrival of Morgan McKinney Diefendorf, her pure magic girl, who was born on Margaret’s mother’s 70th birthday, in Aug. of 1998. Margaret’s greatest love in life was being with her husband and children, and visiting family at the ocean in Oregon and Texas, and of course taking photos of them. Eventually Margaret would document their life together through photographs in more than 50 albums. Together they loved Colorado and enjoyed skiing, hiking, and camping at their property in the mountains.
In 2004, the McKinney-Diefendorf family moved to Las Vegas, N.M., a small town where Margaret’s mother had deep family roots going back several generations on both sides of her Tipton-Devine family. Margaret had a deep appreciation for the beautiful landscapes of Northern New Mexico. Some of her favorite hiking places included Ghost Ranch, an iconic inspiration for the artist Georgia O’Keeffe, the mountains of New Mexico, the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge, and the Gallinas Canyon. She felt a special connection with the Eagle Nest and Angel Fire wildernesses as her father Keith had grown up there and shared with Margaret an initial love for the outdoors, that love which she also inspired within her girls.
The girls, Caitlin and Morgan, became quite the duo on their soccer and track teams, and Margaret and her husband never missed a single one of their high school soccer games or track meets, and were known for being passionate Robertson Cardinals supporters. Margaret always encouraged her children to pursue their biggest dreams. She recognized her eldest daughter Caitlin’s natural instinct and compassion working with children, predicting from an early age that she would make a tremendous pediatrician. Caitlin will be graduating from medical school at Oregon Health and Science University this spring and plans to pursue pediatric residency training. Margaret was also exceptionally proud of her younger daughter, Morgan, for which she always relayed exclamations from elementary teachers regarding her interest and skill in hands-on building and creation. Morgan graduated from Boise State University in 2021 with her degree in Mechanical Engineering, now contracting for projects with NASA.
After her retirement in 2021, Margaret continued to serve her community through volunteering at the New Mexico Food Bank, she participated in book club, and loved staying active in Zumba and yoga classes. Margaret also loved gardening and would often have people stop while walking and tell her she had the prettiest yard in Las Vegas. Margaret also loved baking and cooking so there was always guaranteed to be a fresh batch of cookies and a wonderful home cooked meal filling the kitchen with the aroma of her delicious creations.
Margaret is survived by her husband Roy Diefendorf; daughters, Caitlin and Morgan Diefendorf; siblings, Trish McKinney, Jeanne Goodling, David McKinney, and Julie Tingstrom; nephews, Michael Goodling, Ben Goodling, Will Goodling, and Matthew Tingstrom; niece Kate McIntyre; grandnephews, Owen Goodling and Theo Goodling; and grandniece Malin Goodling.
Margaret was preceded in death by her mother Mary Teresa (Devine) McKinney; father Keith Hamlin McKinney; and two sisters, Mary Kathleen (Kathy) McKinney, and Maureen (Renie) Michele McKinney.
Margaret was a member of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Parish in Las Vegas, N.M. She maintained her strong faith in God through her entire life and found peace in offering kindness and acceptance. Margaret’s loving spirit will forever be her legacy. In memory of Margaret, the following prayer may provide peace and guidance in mourning of her loss:
Dear God, I come to you today with a heavy heart, grieving the loss of Margaret. Please comfort me in my sorrow and surround me with your love and guidance during this difficult time. Please ease the pain of my loss and help me to find peace and acceptance in the midst of my grief. May I find strength and courage to carry on, even when it feels like the weight of my loss is too heavy to bear. Please bless me with good memories and moments of joy to hold onto, even amidst the pain of my loss. May I find comfort in the support and love of those around me, and may I be surrounded by positive energy and good health. Amen.
Celebration of life will be hosted in Las Vegas, New Mexico at Kennedy Hall on the campus of Highlands University at 2 p.m. MST on April 6, 2024.
In lieu of flowers please consider a contribution for a scholarship for a Robertson High School female soccer or track student athlete.
Arrangements are entrusted to and under the care of Rogers Mortuary, 600 Reynolds Ave., Las Vegas, N.M. 87701.
