KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When Troy McKinney took his mom fishing in early June, it was his way of saying goodbye.

Alice McKinney was dying of cancer. Everyone knew it — mother, son, relatives and friends.

She was weak and tired and barely able to go on. But she had one last camping and fishing trip in her. And her son, Troy, was determined to make it a special one.

"I knew this would be our last trip together. And I think she knew, too," said McKinney, 47, of Raytown. "It was a very emotional experience.

"My dad died when I was 9, so my mom played both roles in my life. She taught me a love for the outdoors, and we shared many fishing trips together.

"This last trip was something that meant a lot to me. It was my way of thanking her for everything she had done."

Fearful that his mother would get sick or overexerted, McKinney decided to stick close by. He and his mother agreed that Watkins Mill State Park, near Excelsior Springs, would be the perfect choice.

"One of her favorite places to go was Watkins Mill," McKinney said. "She always loved the beauty of the place. It has a lake, a trail and an awesome campground.

"But best of all, it's close. I knew we could get home fast if we had to."
 
So McKinney, his wife, Janet, and his mom packed up the camper, hooked up the boat and trailer, and headed out on a sentimental journey.

For a couple of days in early June, it seemed like old times. They caught fish, they built a campfire, they roasted hot dogs and they made s'mores. Best of all, they talked about past trips.

Alice so enjoyed herself that she urged Troy to invite other family members to join them. By the next day, there were 10 people at the campground — all the way from Alice's great-grandchildren on up.

"We caught lots of bass that weekend," Troy said. "She couldn't cast, but I'd hook a fish and let her reel it in.

"The joy was there. You could see it in her face."

The trip was filled with tradition. Alice wanted to fix a skillet breakfast over the campfire, she wanted to get out in the boat, and she wanted to share time with family.

"I think she knew this would be her last trip," McKinney said. "She wanted to experience everything one last time."

Within four days, Alice McKinney was in the hospital. She died at age 70 on June 11.

For Troy, a longtime tournament fisherman who works at the Bass Pro Shops store in Olathe, Kan., it was a big loss. Although the family was prepared, it was hard to say goodbye.

Alice raised Troy to love the outdoors, even though she had endured tragedy associated with such pursuits. When she was 14, two younger brothers died on a family camping trip when they drowned while fishing. Her husband died after accidentally shooting himself on a deer-hunting trip.

Still, that didn't deter Alice from participating in camping and fishing and making sure Troy understood the value of the outdoors.

"Since my dad wasn't around, my mother was the one who taught me to fish," McKinney said. "I remember how we'd go to Jacomo and fish from the bank with bamboo poles, a little string and worms we'd dig up in the garden or grasshoppers or crickets we'd catch.

"We caught a lot of fish, and I really got hooked. I just loved it when we'd go fishing."

Mother and son continued to fish, traveling everywhere from Table Rock Lake to the James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area near Lee's Summit. And they built plenty of memories along the way.

Troy still remembers the day several years ago when his mother was trailing a lure behind the boat, hooked something solid and assumed that she was snagged. Troy looked back, saw the line moving and said, "Mom, that's a fish." Minutes later, she was guiding a 30-inch channel catfish into a net.

Life became more complicated in 1999 when Alice was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a mastectomy, and eventually the cancer went into remission. But it came back in 2004 and spread to her bones and back and eventually to her liver.

She fought the cancer for several years before doctors told her there was little else they could do.

That's when Troy came up with the idea of taking one last camping and fishing trip.

"There's no doubt that I will remember this trip for a long time," he said. "It wasn't easy for her, and she spent a lot of time sleeping.

"But she loved being out there. I'm going to miss her terribly, but I'll be able to look back on some special moments we had together.

"She gave me the best gift any son could receive — a love of the outdoors."