Hugh M. "Bud" McKinney, PhD

Hugh Martin “Bud” McKinney, 71, of Huntersville, NC, went for a jog and ran into the arms of Jesus on December 24, 2020.

He was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and raised in Virginia Beach.  He was the son of James and Ela McKinney.  He was a lifelong learner.  After he graduated from Princess Anne High School, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and served six years in VMA 233 and HMM 774. He received his B.S. in Business Administration from Old Dominion University; a M.S. in Public Administration at Virginia Commonwealth University; a Graduate Study Certificate in Adult Learning and Instruction from the University of Virginia; and a M.S. in Human Development and Adult Learning from Virginia Tech.  He successfully defended his dissertation research work on Strategic Leadership in Law Enforcement for a Ph.D. in Human Development and Adult Learning from Virginia Tech. 

He honorably served the FBI for 24 years. He began his career as a special agent and was plank holder for the Hostage Rescue Team. His career included firearms training, National Academy Instructor, and the protection detail for three Attorneys General. He completed his career as the FBI Administrator for the National Executive Institute.

After retirement, he was employed by Verizon Communications and The Coca-Cola Company.  In 2005, he established Strategic Leader, Incorporated (SLI) a consulting business in strategic leadership development and risk management.  He joined the TruNorth Global team in 2014 as the Executive Vice President, where he worked until the day he died.  He was also the Chairman of the Board of Christian Family Life in Huntersville, NC, a marriage ministry dear to his heart.

In his life, Bud had many earthly accomplishments, but the greatest and most precious identification is as a follower of Jesus Christ, his Lord and Savior. Serving the Lord was an important aspect of his life and he did so through various positions in churches over the years but most often in music ministry. He said music was not just instruments and words, but worship of our great God.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Margaret McKinney of Huntersville, NC; daughters, Mary Wimberly (Marshall), Beverly Foster (Bryan), and Kathryn Jeffries (Ryan); sister, Vicki White; brother, James McKinney; and six grandchildren, Laura, John, Michael, Marie, Elijah, and James. 

A celebration of life service will be held at the Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 16901 Old Statesville Road, Huntersville, NC 28078, on Tuesday, December 29, 2020. Visitation will be from 1:00-2:00pm with service to follow at 2:00pm.  

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Christian Family Life, PO Box 641, Cornelius, NC 28031; Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, 273 Columbus Ave. Ste. 10, Tuckahoe, NY 10707; or HRTA (Hostage Rescue Team Association), FBI Academy, Quantico, VA 22135.

A memorial service in Virginia has been set for Tuesday, January 5, 2021 at 11:00 am, Immanuel Bible Church, 6911 Braddock Rd., Springfield, VA 22151. A livestream will be available as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_IiVOQIS7M