Desco E. McKay

Desco E. McKay of Indianapolis passed away on March 2, 2012. Mr. McKay, a retired Colonel in the U.S. Air Force was an Industrial Engineer and Purchasing Section Chief for thirty-three years at Western Electric Company. He was born June 22, 1925 to Claude and Tressa Pruitt McKay in Spades, Indiana. He graduated in 1943 from Fairland High School. He enlisted in 1943 as an aviation cadet, completing Bombardier School at Carlsbad, New Mexico, and was commissioned and sent to Tonopah, Nevada. He flew as a Bombardier on B-24's in the Eighth Air Force in England in World War II. He attained a Bachelor's Degree in 1950 from Purdue University. He served thirty-three years in the active and reserve Air Force and was Vice Commander of the 434th Wing at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana at his retirement. A Certified Purchasing Manager, he had been National Vice President for Air Force of the Reserve Officers Association (ROA). He also had been Indiana ROA Department President and had been designated as a member of the Brigade of Volunteers and received the Defender Award from the national ROA. He also was active in the Masonic organization, the Air Force Association, the ROA, and a member of the Purdue University President's Council. He was preceded in death by half-sisters Ruth Henderson and Virginia Patton, and half-brothers Roscoe and Escoe McKay, and special friend Paul Harold Campbell. He is survived by Marie Schrader, Jeffrey Watt, Robert Dickinson and all the good people at Brookdale Place. Visitation will be from 11 am to 1 pm, Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at Freeman Family Funeral Homes and Crematory, Carmony-Ewing Chapel, 819 S. Harrison St. Funeral services will be at 1 pm at the funeral home. Interment will be in Fairland Cemetery. Contributions can be made to the Desco E. McKay STEM Scholarship Fund (for undergraduate students in the Purdue School of Science and Engineering), Foundation Office LD222, 402 N Blackford Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202.