Surrounded by his family, D.H. “Mac” McFadden, Jr., went home to his Lord and Savior on Thanksgiving Day.  Dottie, his beloved wife of sixty-five years, their infant son, Robert Craig, and their son-in-law, Paul, preceded him.

Mac was disciplined and a worker, earning a Professional Engineering degree in Geophysical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines.   After retiring as the Division Engineer for Division 3 of Colorado’s Division of Water Resources, he remained active in his chosen field well into his nineties.  His life outside of work was full of barbershop (and other good music), travel throughout the Southwest, Scotch, chocolate, his pipe, Corvair cars, and animals.  Mac loved animals, and animals loved him.  Even the meanest junkyard mutt would lick his hand.

Mac enjoyed people, and people enjoyed Mac.  On Mac’s last trip to Dallas, he went to see a high school friend.  One could see the affection the two men had for each other though high school was eighty years past.  He also saw his first boss with Sun Oil.  Bed-bound, his old boss lit up with a huge smile when he saw Mac come through the bedroom door.  Even opponents in Mac’s job as Division Engineer became friends whom he appreciated in his later years.  Wherever he went, Mac made friends:  at the store, the rec center, the doctor’s office, and in his final days, at the hospital.

A true Scotsman, Mac fought for his independence, his liberty, and his country.  While he didn’t focus on his service, he was proud of his successful effort to “convince” the enlistment board he could see well enough to join the Army after Pearl Harbor.  He shipped off for North Africa and Italy where he served with Patton’s Fifth Army, knowing he would remain, as he said later, “until the job was done.”  Afterwards, he served in the Colorado National Guard and the Texas State Guard.  In the past decade or so, he would sadly remark that the things he went to war to stop have all come to pass here in America, and it broke his heart. 

Mac loved his family, and he adored Dottie.  Although he lived almost six years after her death, he spoke of her every day.  Mac and Dottie provided their children freedom and opportunities to learn and to grow.  They supported their children’s dreams, allowed them to make mistakes, and were always there with encouragement when their children stumbled.  He wasn’t afraid to take risks.  He showed his children what courage looks like, once leaving a secure, well-paying job in Texas in 1966 to return to his beloved Colorado mountains, where he would remain for the rest of his days.  In his final years, “Boppa Mac” enjoyed extended periods of time with his great-grandchildren when they stayed with him because of their parents’ schedules.  He never got cross with them, but was captivated by their antics and bright minds.

Mac’s legacy endures in his sister, Nancy; children, Alan (Marie), Anne, and Brian (Debbie); grandchildren Walker (Britney), Tanner (Tatum), Brandon, Brittany, and Zachary; and four great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will take place in Alamosa on Saturday, December 1, 2018, at 10:00 A.M. at Calvary Bible Chapel, 7160 Brush Lane.  A graveside service with military honors will follow at 12:30 P.M. at Alamosa Cemetery, 2200 State Avenue.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Mac’s memory to Calvary Bible Chapel (7160 Brush Lane, Alamosa, Colorado 81101) or to Discover Life Ministry, a Christ-centered ministry for men facing addiction issues (Huntersfield Christian Training Center, 251 Huntersfield Road, Prattsville, NY 12468.  Please write “Discover Life Ministry in memory of Mac McFadden” in the memo line.  Online donations may be made at  www.discoverlifeministry.com.)  Donations may also be made through the Rogers Family Mortuary office at 205 State Avenue, Alamosa, CO 81101.

Rogers Family Mortuary of Alamosa is in care of the arrangements.  To leave online condolences, tributes or remarks for Mac’s family, please visit www.RogersFunerals.com