4
trees
planted in memory of James "Jim" McKay
Obituary for James "Jim" McKay
James L. ‘Jim’ McKay, 77, of Casselberry, Florida, was called home to Heaven’s eternity on the morning of Wednesday, July 22, 2020.
Jim was born on December 1, 1942 in Detroit, Michigan to Genevieve Hope and Reginald McKay. He is survived by his loving wife, Paula, of 40 years as well as his daughters Andrea McKay-Michalak, Lauren McKay, and Jenna McKay; son Chris (Ryelyn) McKay; sister Carol Kennedy Will; and nephew Lorne Halvaks. He is also greatly missed by his four grandchildren (Mitchell Michalak, Mason Michalak, Asher McKay and Evelyn McKay) and his sweet beagle, Maci. Jim was predeceased by his parents; his stepfather, William Kennedy; his sister, Cheryl Halvaks; and his granddaughter, Madison Michalak.
Jim graduated from Detroit’s Redford High School in 1961. His first job out of high school was with his stepfather at GM/Cadillac. After a short time, he took a position at Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester, MI where he had the distinct pleasure of training guide dogs and helping visually impaired people regain their independence. He then went to work for Massey Ferguson which took him to Texas, Georgia and Florida. He also sold real estate and found a successful niche in automobile sales for the past several years in Florida.
Sharing special moments of family and vacations whether by video or print photographs was one of Jim’s favorite past times. He certainly loved these memories of taking vacations with his family to places like Mackinac Island in MI, anywhere a cruise ship sailed, and especially the annual summertime trip to Longboat Key, FL. He had a special affinity for the beach and absolutely loved spending time there. For the rest of our days, we will always look forward to seeing him within every sunset. He was also a huge sports fan, sharing his affection for the Michigan Wolverines and Detroit Red Wings with all who knew him. Quiet moments at home would find Jim playing an occasional Xbox game and spending time with Paula watching his favorite movies over and over and every once in a great while allowing her to control the remote and choose the show.
Jim was a man who fiercely loved and protected his family always making them his priority in life. He was also very proud of his wife and children, all of whom are college graduates. Education was very important to him, and his children all recall hearing the same quote while growing up…’your education is something no one can ever take away from you.’ We all appreciate the lessons learned from him, and the memories we will forever carry in our hearts.
A funeral mass honoring Jim will be held on Friday, July 31, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church in Winter Springs. The church will be arranged for social distancing by providing additional spacing between pews for seating. Masks will be required. While we appreciate all who can attend in person, the service will also be available for viewing by live stream for those loved ones and friends who cannot be in attendance. Please copy and paste this link https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/youtu.be/g6MK53H14qA__;!!OJzR9A!L2Hjzb-HFAuAh7BXe4mDFHcrZpyV-_ahNtmzqsao5WIuDDdkLgO_7DnIyj7L7M3Ks3Y$
Read More
Jim was born on December 1, 1942 in Detroit, Michigan to Genevieve Hope and Reginald McKay. He is survived by his loving wife, Paula, of 40 years as well as his daughters Andrea McKay-Michalak, Lauren McKay, and Jenna McKay; son Chris (Ryelyn) McKay; sister Carol Kennedy Will; and nephew Lorne Halvaks. He is also greatly missed by his four grandchildren (Mitchell Michalak, Mason Michalak, Asher McKay and Evelyn McKay) and his sweet beagle, Maci. Jim was predeceased by his parents; his stepfather, William Kennedy; his sister, Cheryl Halvaks; and his granddaughter, Madison Michalak.
Jim graduated from Detroit’s Redford High School in 1961. His first job out of high school was with his stepfather at GM/Cadillac. After a short time, he took a position at Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester, MI where he had the distinct pleasure of training guide dogs and helping visually impaired people regain their independence. He then went to work for Massey Ferguson which took him to Texas, Georgia and Florida. He also sold real estate and found a successful niche in automobile sales for the past several years in Florida.
Sharing special moments of family and vacations whether by video or print photographs was one of Jim’s favorite past times. He certainly loved these memories of taking vacations with his family to places like Mackinac Island in MI, anywhere a cruise ship sailed, and especially the annual summertime trip to Longboat Key, FL. He had a special affinity for the beach and absolutely loved spending time there. For the rest of our days, we will always look forward to seeing him within every sunset. He was also a huge sports fan, sharing his affection for the Michigan Wolverines and Detroit Red Wings with all who knew him. Quiet moments at home would find Jim playing an occasional Xbox game and spending time with Paula watching his favorite movies over and over and every once in a great while allowing her to control the remote and choose the show.
Jim was a man who fiercely loved and protected his family always making them his priority in life. He was also very proud of his wife and children, all of whom are college graduates. Education was very important to him, and his children all recall hearing the same quote while growing up…’your education is something no one can ever take away from you.’ We all appreciate the lessons learned from him, and the memories we will forever carry in our hearts.
A funeral mass honoring Jim will be held on Friday, July 31, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church in Winter Springs. The church will be arranged for social distancing by providing additional spacing between pews for seating. Masks will be required. While we appreciate all who can attend in person, the service will also be available for viewing by live stream for those loved ones and friends who cannot be in attendance. Please copy and paste this link https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/youtu.be/g6MK53H14qA__;!!OJzR9A!L2Hjzb-HFAuAh7BXe4mDFHcrZpyV-_ahNtmzqsao5WIuDDdkLgO_7DnIyj7L7M3Ks3Y$
To plant a tree in memory of James "Jim" McKay, visit the Tribute Store.
Loading...