- Date Of Birth: September 30, 1948
- Date Of Death: February 14, 2018
- State: Michigan
Was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan on 30 Sept, 1948 and after a short illness died on Feb. 14, 2018 at his home in Portage, Ml. He was the son of Marie (Pierce) and George B. Mackey. Growing up in Portage where South Portage Little League was his great passion & where he excelled at first base, pretty good at batting also. Graduated from Portage Central High School in 1966.
Going first to Michigan Tech University for two years. War was raging in Viet Nam he answered the call to the U.S. Marines. Serving well and gaining the award of an Air Medal W/ STRIKE/FLIGHT NUMERAL 1, bronze numerals 2 and 1 thru 21 STRIKE/FLIGHT Award. VIET-NAM medal W/device, and Combat Air Wing W/#3. He returned to Michigan Tech getting his ME degree, then off to California for Lockheed Missiles & Space, with successful work on a 30-foot telescoping cylinder space antenna; then Ford Aerospace as a senior Engineer Specialist, then Martin Marietta in Denver Co. While in California he also finished his Masters ME Degree.
Sometimes he was also ‘bartered’ out to local colleges for instructing, and one year at U of Utah. He married Sue Ann Glowe and they had a son Kyle Mackey. A short marriage to Barbara Pietrowski and no children. “Barrett” as he was known to his family, was preceded in death by his father, George Mackey in 2005. Left to mourn his loss are his mother: Marie; one sister: Nena Dresser; two brothers: Charlie and Arnold Mackey, all of Portage; nieces: Jaime (Ken) Mills and their children, Fisher, Aylen & Zeke of Pinedale, WY, and Pamela Maikoski and daughters, Kerri and Kayla of Tampa, FL., two grandchildren, many, many cousins.