Tonia Lynne “Tammy” McKinley
November 15, 1968 – July 30, 2023
It is with great sadness that NEFAR has learned of the death of Tonia Lynne McKinley, a REALTOR® with Watson Realty Corp. in Ortega. Tonia, who was lovingly known as “Tammy” by her family and friends, passed away on the evening of July 30 while in hospice care. She died due to complications from lung cancer.
A NEFAR member since 2013, Tammy was best known to her fellow REALTORS® as the agent that sold 648 E. Union St. in December of 2018 for $4.6M. The sale was especially important to the City of Jacksonville, because “in less than a year, the Union Terminal Warehouse will begin a new renaissance as a home, business, and entertainment cornerstone for the growing bold city,” according to News4Jax.
“Tammy had this exact vision for the property and was told it would never sell for more than $1.6M, based upon its rental income, but she knew better,” said her broker, Lorri Reynolds of Watson Realty.
Aside from her talent in real estate, Tammy was also an exceptional artist and avid supporter of the Riverside Arts Market (RAM).
Tammy’s final contribution to her community was to donate her body to science in the hopes of finding a cure for the lung cancer that took her life at age 54. “Her hope was that her battle with this greedy disease does not end with her but that scientists will find out more about it and help others in the future,” said Reynolds.
“When she died, she was surrounded by family and friends. She knew she was loved,” Reynolds said, noting that her Watson Realty family and her relatives in Kentucky already miss her terribly.
