McKinley J. Lukes

McKinley J Lukes, of Madison Wisconsin found his own finish line, January 18, 2010.   Passionate, quick witted, intense, questioning, articulate, artistic, dramatic, piercing, brilliant --   loved and treasured by many.   Born in Madison in 1986, an enthusiastic 2004 graduate of West High School and a 2008 honors graduate of the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire McKinley recently started working on the writing staff at Epic Systems in Verona.   Wherever he went he touched people with his quick smile, easy wit, and deep sense of truth.   He lived his life in music and an aesthetic remarkable for its depth and clarity.   He is survived by his parents Stephen and Shirwil Lukes, his sister Denali, and by a huge community of family and friends who will miss him dearly.   He is preceded in death by his loving grandparents.   A time to get together to remember McKinley is set for Sunday January 24, 2010 from 1:00-4:00 at Cress Funeral Home, 3610 Speedway Rd., Madison WI.   For those wishing to make a gift honoring his life, a memorial scholarship fund will be set up to help young writers. 
  In his 18 year old voice... 
  No one listened until I got to
   3    
      2        
          1
Lift off.
And the smoke trails from my flight patterns
spelled out the answers
 to my questions.
 I woke up this morning and thought to myself,
Nice Guys Finish Last.
That's fine.
We finish last,
but we're looking for a different finish line.