Maurice Erve McCaffrey

Maurice Erve “Mac” McCaffrey, 94, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on November 15, 2025 in Sumter, South Carolina. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 29, 1931, he was the son of Dr. Maurice H. and Margaret Moran McCaffrey.

Mac was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 61 years Katharine “Kay” Bullard McCaffrey in 2022. He is survived by his three sons: MG(R) Todd (Lisa) McCaffrey of Columbia, SC; Brian (Sandy) McCaffrey of St. Augustine, FL; and Daniel (Nancy) McCaffrey of Chattanooga, TN. He leaves behind seven grandchildren—Michael (Haley), Sara, Andrew, Jessica, Ryan, Kevin, and Madison—and one great-granddaughter, Margo.

A lifelong aviation enthusiast, Mac served as an aviation machinist’s mate in the U.S. Navy and later earned his private pilot’s license. Even well into his later years, he could effortlessly identify aircraft from the 1940s through the 1960s. Building models, talking about airplanes, and watching them soar remained a passion that never faded.

Mac attended Shattuck School, then a military high school in Minnesota, where he played hockey on frigid outdoor rinks. He passed along an appreciation of the sport to his three sons, teaching each to skate—though none could quite match him on the ice. He later graduated from The Ohio State University.

His career in the steel industry took Mac, Kay, and their young family across the Midwest before they eventually settled in Hudson, Ohio—a community they cherished for more than 30 years developing lifelong friendships. Following retirement, they traded snowy winters for the sunshine of Amelia Island, Florida. After Kay’s passing, Mac relocated to South Carolina where he lived his final months at Patriots Village Veterans Home in Sumter.

Mac was a man of many talents and quiet creativity. In his younger years, he delighted friends with humorous—sometimes gently irreverent—poems celebrating their birthdays and anniversaries. A more than capable skier despite an old knee injury, he also coached his sons in hockey and ensured they understood the fundamentals of maintaining a backyard, garage, and home.

We take comfort in knowing that Mac is now reunited with Kay—surely catching up on the day’s news, watching old movies by a fire, and tending to one of the many beloved cats that ruled their home over the decades.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to the staff of Patriots Village State Veterans Home for their compassion in his final months, and to the caregivers at Toumey Prisma Hospital in Sumter for their attentive support.

Mac and Kay will be interred together at a later date in Hudson, Ohio alongside many friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Mac’s memory be made to Camp Cole, a camp and retreat center serving children, teens, and adults who are navigating serious illnesses, disabilities, and complex life challenges located in Eastover, South Carolina.