Edward D. McKay

Haslett, Michigan.

Ed went to be with the Lord on Friday, November 30, 2018, at the age of 96.  He was born November 18, 1922, in Chicago, Illinois, to Helen Ramsay McKay (nee Hunt) and Edward D. McKay, Sr.  He attended Hanover College before joining the US Army.  A veteran of WWII, he served in the European Theatre of Operations, landing on Utah Beach on D-Day plus 4.  From there his unit traversed France with the big guns of the 120^th AAA Battalion.  At war’s end, he met Mary L. Bostick of Fort Wayne, IN.  They were married and both graduated from Indiana University.  Ed graduated in 1948 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology.  He practiced petroleum geology in Illinois and the Midwest.  He was a member of the faculty of Lincoln Trail Community College, Robinson, IL, where he developed and taught a unique and innovative petroleum technology program in the 1970’s to the mid 1980’s.  Ed’s program attracted hundreds of students from all over the world who were trained in oil field technology.  Many of his students worked in the oil industry throughout oil producing regions internationally and in the United States.  Ed was preceded in death by his wife, Mary (2013), sister Helen McKay Reinbold and daughter-in-law Linda McKay.  Ed is survived by his sons: E. Donald McKay III, Champaign, IL; William (Jill) McKay, Haslett, MI and Richard (Dale) McKay, Edmond, OK.  He is also survived by six grandchildren: Cathy (Eric) Stickels, Brian (Courtney) McKay, Allison (Blake) Poindexter, Ian McKay, Elizabeth (David) Hensold, and Jake McKay, as well as eight great-grandchildren.  Ed will be remembered for his gentle spirit, outgoing personality, numerous friends, generosity, hard work, and especially love of family.  He was an avid sailor, outdoorsman, and skilled at woodcraft.

He was a member of Eastminster Presbyterian Church for nearly 38 years.  A memorial service will be held at the church at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 05, 2018.  Visitation will start at 10:00 a.m.  Memorial contributions in Ed’s name may be made to Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 1315 Abbot Road, East Lansing, MI 48823.