Obituary of William Forrest McKay


William Forrest McKay, "Bill", of Los Altos passed peacefully in his home on August 27, 2018. He was 88 years old.



Bill was born on November 5, 1929 to Donald and Eula McKay and was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. He graduated from Whitman College and was active on campus not only in the Beta Theta Phi fraternity and Whitman Tennis Team for four years, but also an appointed officer in a collegiate division of the United Nations. While he aspired to go on to work for the CIA, he ended up working most of his career in defense for Lockheed Missiles and Space. It was there where he met his wife Joan and they married in 1959.



Bill and Joan raised their family in Sunnyvale and Los Altos. They became members of Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church where Bill loved to hear Joan sing in the chancel choir. While Bill was proud of his work, he worked hard so he could enjoy the things he loved. He was a star tennis player from the beginning and continued to play competitively in the USTA and local tennis clubs for most of his life, stopping at 80 years old after open heart surgery. When he wasn't on the courts (which was rare) he loved to work on his cars. He restored everything from a Ford Model T to Triumphs and enjoyed driving around his other favorites, a Jaguar and his Ferrari. He was a car guy! Finally, he was a beautiful photographer. Specializing in black and whites, he was always working to develop his skills in color and digital editing as well. At the dinner table, he was great at telling jokes or just being witty. He kept this sense of humor up until his last days.



Dad will be missed terribly and leaves behind his wife, Joan Mckay, his son William McKay, his daughters Susan McKay and Shannon Dobbs, and his son-in-law David Dobbs. Bill is also survived by his five grandchildren: Lindsay, Kelsey, Madelyn, and Nicholas Dobbs, and Kyle McKay.



A Celebration of Life will be held at Spangler Mortuary,399 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos, on Friday, September 14, 2018 at 10:00am.




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