Mac McCuller Online Tribute and Memorial Website

Memories of Mac McCuller

Another January 1st

Susan McCuller Jan 01, 2012

Two years today...Time does pass...I still miss you everyday. The hole in my heart doesn't go away. I do get stronger, but things are not better, just different. I still love you the same. I keep busy with the girls and Liam and of course, work. I do know that you are watching out for me. You are with me always. I love you, Mac.

Your wife,

Sue

Daddy's little girl

MichelleMcCuller Apr 08, 2011

Your one and only daughter just got engaged! It is such a happy time for me but I can't help but still cry because you are not here to help me celebrate, to meet the one I am to marry, give me away, be a part of our lives. I miss you so much. I know that you would just adore Sean! The two of you are alike in so many ways. Not a day goes by that you are not in my thoughts and prayers. I know you are still with me, watching over me.
Love Always, Your Daughter Michelle

A year has passed

Susan McCuller Jan 06, 2011

My darling Mac,

A year has passed... it has had its ups and downs. Mel had a beautiful baby boy on July 16th..Liam Christopher. You would love him. He has made 2010 worthwhile and added some happiness to the void in my life. I still miss you every day, but I am living and I know that that is what you would want me to do. I know that you watch over me and all your family. I love you. I love you.

Sue

Coincidence

Bob and Anne English Feb 13, 2010

I happened to be thinking of Mac today and was reviewing our tribute page to him at the TecAccess website. http://www.tecaccess.net/content/pressroom/pressreleases/2010/mac.shtml. Now I hadn't looked at that page since we first put it up.

Oddly, the phone rang and it was Debra who -out of the blue- said in a sad voice "I am really missing Mac today". I had to smile and told her the very web page I had been looking at when she called, we both were thinking Mac had somehow connected the cosmic dots.

As we slide into February

Bob and Anne English Feb 06, 2010

At TecAccess, January was a month filled with hard reminders of the loss of our friend and colleague Mac. We miss him every day and know this is just a small slice of the grief the family must bear. Every new, interesting and complex project I encounter I realize again how Mac loved those puzzles. I smile as I write.

At TecAccess, we have a monthly employee recognition award. It is given to the employee that thinks outside the box, goes 'above and beyond', is most creative or most effective. The award is just a small token, a statue and a $100. But one of our employees came up with the idea to rename that award to "The Mac Award" since he so beautifully embodied those attributes we're trying to encourage and reward. I wish I had thought of that, it is absolutely perfect for our award. So this month, all employees are vying for their very own MAC. I know that the $100 will go fast but that tiny cheesy statue will be a real prize knowing who it stands for. As we bring on new employees that never had the chance to know Mac, I think they will get a sense as they see the award and the pride we all have in it.

All the best to Sue and the family.

Your friend in Jacksonville Florida - Bob English

MichelleMcCuller (Mar 18, 2010)

Wow. That is so cool. I can't tell you how proud my dad would feel about this and how cool he would think it so. That is such a sweet thing and I wanted to say thank you for finding a way to keep his memory going. My dad had a great impact on countless people, that was just the way he was. Thank you Bob.

Dungeons and Dragons: From a Dungeonmaster...

David Murotake Jan 11, 2010

Mac was definitely a player! Many of the group were Veterans, with shared experiences, which made playing even more fun!

Once, Mac played a cleric. He was, in fact, playing a Lawful Evil cleric, an alighment NONE of the other players knew - for had they known, they would NOT have been as happy to have him in their group. The mission? To rescue a stolen HOLY artifact which had been defending a kingdom from an ancient (and evil) enemy. The artifact had to be recovered by a good person... so it was natural to pick a LAWFUL cleric, right? If touched by anone except a GOOD person, the player would receive so much damage they would immediately be STRUCK DEAD.

Mac played the role to the hilt. He always used the approrpriate "lawful" cleric moves, always concealed the EVIL part of his alignment... until the very last episode. After undergoing many dungeon difficulties, the adventuring band finally slay an evil dragon guarding the artifact, and in their moment of triumph, urge Mac's cleric to pick up the Holy artifact so they could "scram". Ceremoniously, Mac's cleric pulls out a very, very thick set of gloves (gauntlets) before carefully picking up the artifact. At this point, several players make their "Wisdeom" rolls and begin to wonder, Why are you putting on those gloves???

A "player" to the end, Mac begins to spin the kinds of fast-talk excuses that would be the envy of any career sergeant! But to no avail! There were OTHER career sergeants in the player group. Placed under arrest by a Lawful Good Paladin, the group chose the Paladin to pick up the artifact for their return journey home...

Mac and I played in many an adventure... not just limited to D&D but other gaming systems as well. And always, he was an imaginative and lively player. He was always enjoyable company, cooked up a great barbecue, and played skillfully. Mac, your D&D friends will miss you!

Imagine if I knew him longer...

Jonathan Ballard Jan 09, 2010

As I sit and reflect on my memory of Mac, it amazes me that I never had the chance to physically shake his hand. All of the times we comunicated were through teleconferences or IMs. But I still benifited from our brief relationship. His positive attitude was contagious. While I worked with him in the DVETs program and after, I had much respect for him and valued his advice.
The lesson I take away from this is to cherish those who have had a positive impact in your life and never take anyone for granted. His "recommendations" will ever ring in my mind.
I pray that God's consuming love cover the family and his friends.
As long as we continue to allow his wisdom to effect our lives, he will live on.
Even though we didn't know each other that long, he will be missed!
Jonathan Ballard

MichelleMcCuller (Jan 10, 2010)

Thank you Jonathan. My father was an amazing man and I am sorry that you did not have a chance to meet him in person. His laugh was contagious, his attitude towards life was imeasurabley positive and he loved what he did and the people he knew and helped. Thank you for your kind words. Michelle McCuller

Synchronicity

Glen Caldwell Jan 07, 2010

Definition: Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events that are causally unrelated occurring together in a meaningful manner. To count as synchronicity, the events should be unlikely to occur together by chance.

I preface this with a definition, because it is such a clear case, and I believe typical of something Mac would do.

A while back, just before Mac left us, I got an iPhone and in my last phone conversation with him we discussed the features that we liked and Mac even asked that I email him a list of the accessories I had gotten. During that time I had been transferring the names from my Sanyo Sprint Phone to my new iphone. Overcome by the pressing duties of being retired, I stopped transferring the names and left it for a "better time". After I received the call from Sue on the 2nd of Jan, I immediately converted Mac's name to Susan, changed the phone number and added the new email address. Tonight when I figured I would continue transferring names from my old phone, I went to the list and There he was on the top of the list, Mac McCuller, next name to be transferred. I am a great believer in synchronicity and I think it points to a universe that we can't explain. For example: Many times I will wake up in the middle of the night and look at the clock, and it will be 2:22, 3:33, 4:44, 12:34, some pattern of numbers that tells me there is more to the universe than meets the eye.

There are many stories of loved ones reaching from the beyond to let the one's left behind know that they are OK. I sat in for Mac in our prayer circle this morning and received the "laying on of hands" for his spirit. I take the appearance of his name this evening as a "Thank you" and firm acknowledgement that "All is well with Mac"

Sara Ruh and Mac

druh Jan 06, 2010

I was scared to tell Sara about Mac because she adored him...of course - who didn't. I finally told her yesterday. We sat down by the wonderful picture of Sara and Mac and talked about our wonderful Mac. His smile, his laugh, his kindness and the pure joy that came from knowing our Mac. Every time he called – Sara would jump on the line and they would hoot and holler for a few minutes. Sara loved Mac. I told her that Mac had done to the light and reminded her of one of her favorite movies – Ghost. The scene where Patrick Swavey is telling Demi Moore that you take the LOVE with you. Then he tells her how beautiful it is and how much love he feels. I wanted to tell Sara in a way she could understand. She knows Mac is laughing with God and cracking up the angels. She was touched by our wonderful Mac just like the rest of us. We are all better people because of Mac. What a legacy to leave - we can all learn so much from Mac. I picked a dolphin to represent this post because Sara loves dolphins. Last night she prayed for Mac, Sue and the rest of his family. She reminded me how beautiful Sue looked at their wedding and how happy Mac was that day. She also reminded me of how much she enjoyed meeting Mac and Sue's daughters - what a blessed day. Sara and Debra Ruh

Great Analyst and Friend

James Wilburn Jan 06, 2010

I was Mac's NCO in Charge in both Rothwesten and Augsburg, Germany in the early 70s. He was one of the bewst intelligence analyst I worked with in my 39 year career. My favorite memory of Mac is his Analyst Pack-Rat trait. When we were preparing material to take to Augsburg in 1972, I found in Mac's files an intelligence message I had frafted and released as a young analyst in 1959. Mac kept everything. We had a good laugh, but, Mac kept the message in his files.
I lost touch with Mac after Augsburg and only reconnected within the past year. I will miss his humor, ability and friendship.

Larry Wilburn

MichelleMcCuller (Jan 10, 2010)

Larry, My father loved his time in the military. His best stories often took place when he was in the military in Germany. You would be pleased to know that he never lost his "Pack-Rat" trait :) His laugh and his humor will live on in the hearts and memories of many. Michelle McCuller

Mac a great soldier and good friend.

Glen Caldwell Jan 06, 2010

Mac served with me in Germany in the 70's as an analyst. He was one of the best Signals Intelligence Analysts I ever worked with. I urged him to apply for Warrant Officer, which he did, and I sat on his board as Technical Evaluator. Even though he was rated fully qualified, he was not selected because at the time he did not have the required time in the Army. People always liked to be around Mac. When Mac's Army time ended, he was immediately recruited by one of the companies that contracted with the US Army to develop new intelligence systems. This was another job he excelled at. After 30 years of no contact I received a call from Mac, he in Mass and I in Virginia, and we talked on the phone and swapped memories of our times in Germany. I did get to see Mac after that on three occasions. Once at his lovely wedding, once at a Field Station Augsburg Reunion, where we had a great day at the "Spy Museum" in D.C., and the last time when my son flew over from Germany and we met with Mac and Sue over dinner. We had plans to go deepsea fishing but our time ran out. The thing I remember most about Mac is that he was so darned interesting to talk to. He was a wealth of information on many interesting subjects, and he knew how to tell a good story. He was an ace at helping others including wounded soldiers and the handicapped through his work. He was loved by many and is in my thoughts often. I salute him in my thoughts.

Glen Caldwell

My soul mate, my love, my heart

Susan McCuller Jan 05, 2010

As many of you know, I met Mac at E Harmony.com. His first communication with me made me laugh right out loud. I thought... this is someone I could be interested in! I still see him as we met the first time...bright white shirt, a huge bouquet of flowers in one hand and a plate of tea sandwiches in the other! He was larger than life, and miracle of miracles...he loved me! He sent me to the car for his crazy salt and called my father to ask my father if he could marry me. It was so sweet and thoughtful. We vowed to never to stop the honeymoon. Our kids liked each other and got along famously. He adored my parents. We joined our families together, cats and all!

My life took a turn for the better. He filled up every nook and cranny of my existence as well as my quiet house. He was my life. He got sick about 6 months ago, but he wouldn't tell anyone. He didn't want sympathy. He wanted to work and give of himself. The last two months had been rough. He was on oxygen and couldn't do the things that he had done in the past. I had taken over doing the cooking and driving him places. Someone said to me that he was a burden, but when you love someone, there is no burden. And I loved him with my whole being. He was looking forward to spoiling a new grandchild in July.

Our time was short here on earth, but he is with me forever. I love you, Mac. I love you.

Sue