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Bob McKay

Mike S

Senior Curmudgeon
Sadly, I am reporting the passing of Bob McKay today at his home in Cameron AirPark.

Bob was at home, and was in Hospice care.

Bob was still flying his RV 6 when I first moved here, but had sold the plane a few years back.

He was a POW in WW2. http://www.cameronparkrotary.org/10142010.pdf

RIP Bob.
 
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Sadly, I am reporting the passing of Bob McKay today at his home in Cameron AirPark.

Bob was at home, and was in Hospice care.

Bob was still flying his RV 6 when I first moved here, but had sold the plane a few years back.

I believe he was a WW2 veteran, and POW.

RIP Bob.

Crusty,
My condolences on the loss of your friend. RIP Bob.
 
Bob

He was also in the Bataan march at the age of 15, and a very experienced glider pilot, got the chance to check him out in his 6, he will be missed.

RT
 
Please let me know if there will be a memorial service. We are convening one of our glider-making Akafliegs over the next two weeks, but I would take a day off for Bob.

Thanks, Bob K.
 
I met Bob through Mike Starkey his Cameron Park (O61) neighbor.

Bob rented me his hanger for my RV-8. Bob was an amazing man with so much life experience which he freely shared. What a joy to listen to his experiences.

Today as I got to his house to pull the RV out, I was met by the fire department who was just leaving. Bob's sister Mary was there and said Bob was not doing well the last several days and was under hospice care.

I told Mary that everyone I encountered around the airpark knew Bob and respected him tremendously. I explained to her the stories I was told of Bob's experiences in mining, flying and even as a WWII prisoner of war.

Mary shared with me a book that her and Bob put together that memorialized their lives when they were in the interment camps in the Philippines.

At the young age of 18, Bob witnessed the Japanese invasion of the Philippines islands. In fact, he and a few others around his age were dispatched as air raid spotters.

It was near Mount Santo Tomas, west of Baguio where Bob and his team of observers climbed a 7500 foot mountain overlooking the Lingayen Gulf on the west side of Luzon.

On that mountain Bob witnessed 110 Japanese ships and landing craft shuttling Japanese soldiers onto the surrounding beaches. About 23 days later, these same Japanese soldiers would later capture and imprison him along with hundreds of others.

For 37 months Bob was separated from his mother and father and sister Mary who were also prisoners of war. There are so many fantastic stories within this book, I feel so privileged to read from its pages of Bob's personal accounts of his amazing life.

Bob also shared with me some great stories of his time flying his RV6 and gliders. I'm so grateful to have known Bob.

When I returned from my short flight, Bob's sister Mary came out to meet me and give me the book to read. Mary told me while I was flying Bob passed.

Bob was an truly amazing man. He will be remembered fondly.
 
Sad day, god bless Bob

I've known Bob McKay for 35 years. He was one of the first three glider pilots I met the day I walked onto Air Sailing Gliderport in the summer of 1980 as a 23 year old kid who just bought his first glider. Bob was a founding member of the Board of Trustees of Air Sailing.

Bob was one of the kindest, gentlest, most interesting men I have ever met.

A few others have mentioned the book his sister, Mary, wrote about their family's experiences in the Philippines during WW II. In case you would like to read the book, it is:

"My Faraway Home: An American Family's WWII Tale of Adventure and Survival in the Jungles of the Philippines"
by Mary McKay Maynard

Bob did indeed own a nice RV-6 for a number of years, and used it to commute over the hill from Cameron Park to Air Sailing. And he loved that plane.
Prior to that, he had a Globe Swift.

Bob could sit around the camp fire and tell stories all night long from his childhood growing up at the silver mine on Mt Paterson, to his time as a "guest" of the Japanese, to the day he returned home to Oakland on a destroyer after the war and was met by his family, to all kinds of flying adventures and mis-adventures, in power planes and gliders. But all his stories were devoid of ego, full of chuckles and humor and love and "there but for the grace of god...".

He was generous with his time, his love, and his wisdom.
Cloudstreets and tailwinds, Bob.
 
Bob once helped rescue me when my wife drove our car off the edge of the road and bent the suspension. He drove me out to where the car was, and with an axe and some chunks of 2x4 we fashioned and installed some crude wedges that held the tire clear of the fender well. Bob followed me as I limped the car back to Air Sailing where we were staying, and later lent me some tools to install the replacement A-arm. Bob helped turn the whole thing from a vacation-ruining disaster into an interesting challenge.
 
Sorry to hear about Bob. He was a nice guy with many experiences most of us are glad we didn't have to endure. Rest in peace Bob. You will be missed.
 
I remember Bob from the glider days with the NCSA at Hummingbird Haven. Bob flew an ASW-19, Six Juliett. He could tell stories!

I lost contact when we moved out of the Bay Area except for a few times at Air Sailing. He put a lot of effort into the great concept that is Air Sailing as a haven for Soaring.

Polly and I will always have fond rememberances of Bob.
 
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Got this email about the service for Bob.

Bob’s sister Mary would like to have anyone who would like to share in celebrating Bob’s life, come to Bob’s house, 3132 Boeing Rd., from 6 – 8pm this coming Thursday, April 2. If you would like to come please bring your own chairs, and either an appetizer or dessert to share. If you have a good story about Bob please come prepared to share with everyone. We will be out in the area in front of the hanger. The hanger will be open for shade. Mary will have water, soda and wine available. Please RSVP to Sue Cook if you can, so Mary can plan for how many beverages to have. You can RSVP to Sue at either 676-9036 or [email protected] by Wednesday, April 1. Bob was a great guy so come help his family celebrate his life.

The following is a great summary of Bob’s life by his good friends Denny and Addalou Davis. Thanks Denny and Addalou for writing this tribute!



Bob McKay:

Although he was a quiet and contemplative man, Bob had a sharp wit and a strong sense of humor. He had unusually high moral and ethical standards. I never heard him speak ill of anyone, ever!

He lived an extraordinary life, starting in his early years working along-side his father at the Silverado mine in Sweetwater Canyon, California over which his Mining Engineer father was the trustee during nonproductive depression years. His parents and his sister Mary (Mary is currently in Cameron Park from her home in Connecticut) left and ventured to the gold fields in the island country of the Philippines. Bob’s father became the chief engineer and supervisor of a mining company that extracted approximately one million dollars worth of gold each month for a number of years just prior to the invasion of Pearl Harbor by Japan in 1941. The following day Japan invaded the Philippines. At that moment Bob was living away for home on another island at boarding school. At this time he was 18 years of age and he weighed approximately 150 lbs. His school was captured by the Japanese and converted into a prisoner of war camp. He remained there for the
duration and was liberated in 1945. At that time he weighed 105 lbs.

Meanwhile his family remained in the Philippines, but to avoid capture by the Japanese, they went deep into a remote jungle. There they survived through a truly American style of survival and enterprise. In 1944, Bob’s mother, father, and sister were evacuated from the islands and delivered to Australia by a U.S. submarine. For more information about the jungle period experienced by his family, read Mary’s book My Faraway Home, available from Amazon. Her book focused on the years spent in the jungle with the daily lament “Where is my Bob”, as uttered by his mother in her diary. During those years his family had no idea where Bob was or whether or not, he was alive.

Bob was reunited with his family in San Francisco in 1945. Having received his High School diploma while living as a prisoner in the campus-prison, he was able to matriculate at University of Berkeley. He earned a B. A. degree.

He married Barbara Jepsen in 1954. They had a daughter, Nancy who was a skilled equestrian. They located in the City of San Leandro, for which Bob worked for twenty eight years. When he retired he turned his full attention to flying. Having already become a pilot, he became a pilot of both sail planes and power planes. He reported that he accumulated more time in sail planes than in power planes. He flew far and wide but focused on the Nevada glider air park known as Air Sailing where he was involved administratively, as a donor, contest competitor in his own sail plane and a tow-plane operator. Because the focus of his life revolved around flying he moved to Cameron Park where he spent the last 15 years of his life. In 2005 he flew his RV6 across the country to visit his sister and her family in Connecticut. He said it was a glorious undertaking and that he was glad he did it, but once was enough. He spent many years instructing friends and neighbors (Pat Kirklan, Robert Herbert and me) how to play dominoes. He was a good competitor and we enjoyed many hours of banter. As stated, he demonstrated a strong sense of humor which was couched in an ethical standard matched by only few mortals. Bob, I, nay, WE will miss you very much. Farewell for now.

Denny and Addalou
 
I know this is kinda short notice, but for any of you out there who are formation folks, what do I need to do to organize a missing man flyover for Bob's memorial???
 
Remember him well....

Sadly, I am reporting the passing of Bob McKay today at his home in Cameron AirPark.

Bob was at home, and was in Hospice care.

Bob was still flying his RV 6 when I first moved here, but had sold the plane a few years back.

He was a POW in WW2. http://www.cameronparkrotary.org/10142010.pdf

RIP Bob.

Mike,
Wish I lived closer, I would be honored to lead his missing man formation. The West Coast Ravens might be able to help you with a missing man flyby. Several posters here are members including AXO.

V/R
Smokey

I first met Bob when I lived in Cameron Park back in 99". His hangar/garage door was open so I walked up and said "howdy!" Bob invited me in and over the next three years we became great friends. I later helped him get his RV6 going.
Bob encouraged me to join his soaring club near Reno and I flew my RV4 there many times to go flying with him. Prior to deploying overseas post 911, he gave me his autographed copy of The Joy of Soaring right before I left saying "it"s yours Smokey, remember when your F16 became a glider! " My missionary friend Bill and I would visit him often discussing the fine art of engineless flight.

A true Gentleman, Patriot and Aviator extraordinaire, he will be missed.
 
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missing man?

I've texted Bob Mills (NASTY) of the West Coast Ravens asking him if it might be possible to put a missing-man fly-over together. I proposed 6:30PM on Thursday, April 2.

Steve
 
Talked to Bob Mills today, we're trying to work something up for this.

Tim

Thanks Tank, I have tried Turbo----------no answer to my call.

Have not tried Nordo yet............should I do that, or should I just get out of the way and let you handle things???

Mike

PS, left you a voice mail.
 
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Tim's running with it, we've got his six. He can coordinate the line-up, and with you as the local POC, it should come together. Nice talking with you today. Bob sounds like he was great guy.

Smokey, always a place for you...wish you could be there.

Cheers,
Bob
 
Thanks

Many thanks to the Ravens http://www.westcoastravens.com/ for the missing man flyby last evening.

Tank, please let the rest of the group know it was appreciated by all who were there, and brought more than a few onlookers to tears.

Thanks again buddy...
 
Thank you!

Many thanks to the members of the West Coast Ravens, and their supporters, who honored my late friend Bob McKay with a flyover and missing-man break as we celebrated his life and achievements at Cameron Park.

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Thanks again, Bob K.
 
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