David A. McKay, age 83
David A. McKay
David McKay died on March 11, 2020. He joins his wife Vicki McKay and leaves behind his daughter, Lisa (Matt) Clawson; his stepson, Rick (Tilda) Richardson; three grandchildren, Saxon, Hutton and Taylor; his brother Howard and family, Sammy, Kim, Melanie and Dennis; and his stepsister, Andrea (Ron Dixon). His stepbrother Billy (Cathy) McKay predeceased him.
David was born and raised in San Diego, the son of Howard and Erma McKay. After serving with the U.S. Army as an Artillery Surveyor in Germany from 1960 to 1962, David returned to CDF/Cal Fire, where he had started his career in 1954, as a lifelong firefighter in the San Diego Unit. He was promoted to Battalion Chief in Sonoma County in 1977, where he remained and retired in 1989. He was also a member of the CDF 25 Year club.
Dave loved movies and travel, golf, biking, boogie boarding (before there was such a thing), snowmobiling, crabbing and gardening. He was a die-hard Chargers and Padres fan.
David was a restless retiree, and worked at the Bennett Valley Golf Course, Blood Bank of the Redwoods, and was a retired annuitant for CDF/Cal Fire. He volunteered at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Salvation Army and the Council on Aging.
Donations made in lieu of flowers will be used to honor David’s favorite causes: American Heart Association, Disabled American Veterans, Kenwood Firemen’s Association, and the Historical Society & Museum of the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection.
