Obituary for Cecil McNinch

William Cecil McNinch joined his heavenly Father on August 11, 2022 passing peacefully from an extended illness at Pinewood Nursing Home in Colville, WA. at age 89.  He was born on the family farm outside of Melba, Idaho on November 1, 1932 to Emery and Bernice McNinch.

"Cec" first attended a small country school at White Settlement, Oregon, until the family moved to a farm in the Vale area. He finished high school in Vale, Oregon where he excelled in football, baseball, basketball and track.  He was a member of a traveling Legion baseball team and attracted the attention of major league teams, including the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians. His dream was to follow in the footsteps of his high school coach who had been such a positive role model in his life, so Cecil started college on a two-sport scholarship to the College of Idaho and had a very promising first year in college in football, but the Korean War and subsequent draft intervened. He continued to receive post cards from the Cleveland Indians' scouts for years expressing interest in his trying out.

Cecil was drafted into the Army, attended basic training at Fort Ord, CA and was assigned to vehicle school.  He was scheduled to ship out to Korea but his company's berths were assigned to a group of Korean officers returning home from training.  He later shipped out and the Armistice treaty was signed just as the ship reached Korea.  He spent sixteen months in Korea and reached the rank of Sgt in charge of the motor pool.

Cecil returned to the United States and mustered out of the Army, joining his family who had moved to Deep Lake, Washington to start a ranching and logging business. After several years at Deep Lake, he and his wife Edith had an opportunity to buy her folks' ranch at Northport. Cecil worked the ranch during the day and began working at Wilson's sawmill swing shift running the resaw mill.

Cecil renewed his love of athletics and played town team basketball and baseball and discovered that there were no summer baseball programs for youth. In 1965, he sought sponsors for youth baseball and began a Senior Legion team that played pickup games in the local area and British Columbia. He would drive the farm tractor in to groom the baseball field at Northport before games.  After one year he also started a Babe Ruth team for 13–15-year-olds that competed in the Southern Interior Canadian Babe Ruth league.  He coached those teams for several summers and received support from local merchants, the Lions Club and the American Legion.

Cecil was asked if he would be interested in coaching basketball for the junior high in Northport and began a career that would extend almost half a century. In 1969, he  was selected for a pilot program that allowed him to teach while he finished his degree. Cecil traveled to Colville three times a week for extension courses, then through correspondence classes and summer school at Eastern Washington State College he graduated with his Bachelor's degree in Education in 1976.

Cecil continued coaching in the Northport District and built a very successful girls' basketball program.  At one point his team went undefeated for three straight seasons and won the first five league championships.  At that time there were no post-season tournaments for girls. The first combined state tournament for Class A and B schools was held in 1976 and was won by the Northport team. The following year Cecil took the boys' basketball team to State. Cecil also coached boys' baseball, girls' softball, and served as the Athletic Director for several years. Cecil retired from teaching in Northport in 1992.

After a year of retirement, Cecil resumed coaching and teaching Driver's Ed, this time in the Colville School District, where he coached junior high girls' softball, and assisted high school boys' and girls' basketball and boys' baseball, along with helping coach the Panorama Twins American Legion baseball team. Cecil retired from the gym and diamond in 2011. He always believed sports were important to the development of youth, both physically and emotionally. The lessons on the field and in the gym could help mold the character of youth and benefit them as adults.  Hundreds of young people benefited from his guidance and example.

Cecil was always a spiritual man and came to be saved in Christ at a Sunday service.  He began a serious study of the Bible and served as a lay pastor at the First Baptist Church in Northport for eight years. He belonged to the Gideons and shared the gospel in many area churches. He later joined the Colville First Baptist Church and faithfully attended until his health failed. He was an intelligent, humorous, kind and encouraging man who loved helping others, and his sweet and patient nature will be greatly missed.

Cecil is survived by his wife Edith at the home, three sons, Gary (Noni), Ron (Kim), and Dan (Cynthia), daughter Kathy, stepson Michael Challinor, eleven grandchildren, seventeen great-grandchildren, twelve great-great grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and friends.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Emery and Bernice, brother Lee, sisters Rose Simmons and Helen Knapp, stepson James P. Challinor, and daughters-in-law, Lori Challinor, and Jessie-Joy McNinch.

A Celebration of Life service will be held Saturday, September 17, 2022 at 1 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Colville, Washington.

In Lieu of flowers, the family suggest donations could be made to the Gideon, or either of his favorite schools through the Colville Benchwarmers, or Northport Dollars for Scholars.  Danekas Funeral Chapel is entrusted in care.