Ian "Mac" S. McKie

Ian Sinclair McKie, "Mac" February 2rd 1930 to May 3rd 2020 Mac McKie, a happy 90 year old man passed away on May 3rd 2020 in Bend, Oregon. He died in the arms of two beautiful women (caregivers) just as he would have wanted with no pain or suffering. He is survived by his two sons Keith and Kevin McKie and in the memories of many. His last 6 years of a wonderful life were spent in Bend, Oregon where he frequently verbalized what a great life he was living. Mac's parents were both immigrants from Scotland and arrived aboard the Lusitania, the vessel that was the first American ship later sunk in WW1. Mac was born in Cleveland in 1930 and exposed to lost elements of that time. Some simple things we take for granted were not available. He grew up in a world of hand washing laundry on Mondays; coal chutes; blocks of ice delivered for the wooden refrigerator; listening to the radio shows such as The Lone Ranger; ration cards during the war years; and Doctor house calls with Castor oil as the cure all. Most of his youth was much the same as everyone else's. He went to school; played around Lake Erie; played baseball and dabbled in flying but he was always drawn by the outdoors. After school, he took a three year stint as a laborer for GE then off to the Marine Corp for another three year enlistment. He did a one year tour in the Korean War which he rarely talked about except for a few humorous stories. He once told us a story where he came under artillery fire while trying to relieve himself on the rear slope of his observation post. His priorities were different back then so he took his helmet off to cover something other than his cranium. After his discharge from the service at age 24 he used the GI Bill to attain a Business degree, followed shortly after with a degree in Zoology from Ohio State. Mac, like many young men had a difficult time discovering his path but his love for animals and the outdoors eventually got him on track. He had many fun, but low paying jobs during this period; Chasing mosquitos around Vero Beach FL; Wading through the lowlands in the Outer Banks of NC; Electroshocking fish in the wilds of the Platte river to count the stock. Dad had known Mom for over 14 years and visited when he could. He happily pursued her to Alaska where she was a nurse serving the logging camps flying around in a Grummen Goose float plane. At the mutual age of 35 they married and moved the NC where they had two sons. His job with the Federal Fish and Wildlife service required relocating often; NC to Utah (where Val was born) to DC then the Pacific Northwest where we settled. The more he was promoted the duller the job became for him. He slowly went from the beautiful outdoors to being in an office for 40 hours a week and spoke often of the tedious bureaucracy and waste associated with a government job. He persevered for his family. Mac retired at age 62 and built his dream home, with help from Frieda and Kevin, in Kingston WA overlooking the Puget Sound and had many good years there. Frieda passed away in 2013 and it was time to downsize and move to Bend where he could be closer to Keith and Kevin. He spent his remaining years blissfully ignorant of life's stresses and happy to be alive in Touchmark retirement community with all the special people there who helped make his remaining years some of the best. A celebration of his life will be held at 64564 Research Rd. Bend, OR 97703 on Saturday, June 13, 2020 from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM with a Marine Corp Honor detail at 4:00 PM. Please RSVP to Kevin McKie at renokjm@gmail.com. The family suggests memorial contributions to Wild Side Rehabilitation at www.wildsiderehab.com. Niswonger-Reynolds Funeral Home is honored to serve the family. 541-382-2471

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Ian "Mac" S. McKie

February 2, 1930 - May 3, 2020