Dannee Kinney

Dannee Oren Kinney, age 80, of Fifty Lakes, passed peacefully at home on August 28, 2023. He was born to Earl and Nancy (Wolleat) Kinney on August 25, 1943 in Brainerd, MN. Dannee grew up in Brainerd and with his adventurous spirit joined the Navy at the young age of 17. He did two tours of the Pacific and spent time in many exotic places including Japan, Hong Kong, Hawaii, Philippines, and Australia. Dannee was discharged in 1964 and met the love of his life, Joyce Rudolph on a blind date. They were married on May 1, 1965, and enjoyed 58 years of wedded bliss. The couple so enjoyed their life together and raising their three children.  

Dannee worked several jobs to make ends meet in the early years of their marriage: Culligan man, park ranger, plowing snow and operating his own small business, Security Lake Patrol as well as many other odd jobs. During the job shortage of 1975, he made the difficult decision to travel to Alaska to look for work. He worked as a laborer in Fairbanks and on the Alaska pipeline for a couple years before earning his pipefitter’s license. He returned to Alaska several times to work on the pipeline and in many Eskimo villages from 1977–1984.  

In 1980, his adventurous spirit inspired him to take the entire family on a road trip to Alaska. After a very long, dusty drive, the entire summer was spent camping and adventuring in the Fairbanks and Tok areas.  

Dannee continued in the pipefitting trade in and around Minnesota until his retirement in 2005. In his retirement he spent many great years with family, enjoying gardening, hunting, ice fishing and endless hours of tinkering, building and repairing. In addition to working hard all his life, Dannee also volunteered on the Fifty Lakes Fire Department for 20 years. 

Dannee will be deeply missed by his wife, Joyce; his children, Jodi O’Connor, Jill (Leslie) Voges, and Joel (April Lodermeier) Kinney; his grandchildren, Dannee, Toini, Tori, Andrew, Rachel, Alaina and Cecilia; his brother, Raleigh (Darlene Fox) Kinney; and sister Wendy (Dennis) Johnson. He was preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Nancy Kinney and his sister and brother-in-law, Elsie and Frank Borders. 

Services will be at 2:00 pm, Tuesday, September 5, at Faith Lutheran Church in Swanburg. Visitation will begin at 12:30.