Andrew McKaye of Fortuna died on October 18 at the age of 99.

He was born on October 12, 1923 at Diamond Lake, Michigan, where he spent the summers of his childhood and youth. During the school year he lived in South Bend, Indiana, which he considered home.

In 1941 he graduated from South Bend Central High School and nine days later, on June 12, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He made the navy a career and retired in August 1961 after attaining the rank of Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman. He was a veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

After completing his naval service he attained a degree and teaching credentials at San Francisco State University. For 24 years he was a teacher and librarian for South Fork High School in Miranda.

In 1947 he married Jean Collins of New York City who preceded him in death in September 2019. They had a son, Professor Kenneth Robert McKaye, who is a permanent resident in both Cape Maclear, Malawi and Helsinki, Finland; and two grandchildren, Mark Robert, now in Connecticut, and Lara Nicole now in Seattle.

Andrew was a dedicated conservationist and educator who requested that donations or contributions be made to any conservation organization, especially ones that focus on preserving redwoods and Beaches of Northern California.

A celebration of his life will be held at Redwood Lodge Conference Center 1800 Riverwalk Drive, Fortuna between 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. on August 27 2023. RSVP: For additional information contact andy.party2023@gmail.com.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Andrew McKaye’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.