- Date Of Birth: July 30, 1942
- Date Of Death: September 8, 2011
- State: Massachusetts
David McClain Mackey, of Upton, died peacefully in his sleep at home in September. After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2007, he lived the rest of his life with strength, humor, and optimism.
Born to Burl and Margaret Mackey on June 30, 1942, in Greene County, PA, he grew up on a small farm near the West Virginia border. As a child, David attended a rural one-room schoolhouse, where he would thaw his frozen inkwell at a pot-bellied stove in wintertime. He went on to graduate from Penn State. While there, he met and married his wife, Helen, with whom he had three children: Christopher, Ferrell, and Kate.
After an early career as a newspaper reporter at the “Wheeling News Register” and the “Pittsburgh Press,” he went into corporate communications, working for firms such as Rockwell International and United Technologies Corp.
David maintained an avid enthusiasm for historic preservation, early folk ballads, and colonial American furniture hroughout his life. He served as a board member of the Upton Historical Commission for 12 years and authored a book on the historic buildings of Washington County, PA, titled “Preserving Our Past.”
He enjoyed vacationing in England, France, and Italy. Attending garden tours was another favorite activity, where he found inspiration for his own ever-changing garden. After his retirement from UTC, he devoted much of his time to reading and playing with his grandchildren: Archer, Clara, and Dexter.
In addition to his wife, children, and grandchildren, he is survived by his brother Ernest, and was closely predeceased by his brother Richard.
