MacDonald Owen Bovee, Jr.

MacDonald Owen Bovee III, otherwise known as “Mac.” is survived by his Wife of 46 years, Linda; children, Tammy and Mac; daughter-in-law; Kelly; grandchildren, Alec, Paul, Jeremiah, and Jason; brother, Eugene; and a host of other family and friends.

Mac was preceded in death by; his parents, Ruby and MacDonald; half-brother, Gerard; and half-sister, Duretta.

Someone once said “The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see the.”

Well, Mac was indeed a wise man. He appreciated the little things in life, like a home of his own, a good and loving wife, healthy children, and a good job. He also loved the great outdoors and was a good friend to his neighbors, and a trusted fellow soldier in the Air Force he served for some 20+ years. He was a simple man who loved his simple life. Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at he was laid to rest at Ft. Sam Houston, with full military honors.

It was a Friday, June 9th, when Ruby Smith Bovee and MacDonald Owen Bovee, Jr. became the proud parents of a handsome baby boy they named MacDonald Owen III. The place was a small farming town, called Mason, Michigan, and the year was 1950, and what a year that was!

Harry Truman was the President that year when he ordered the development of the Hydrogen Bomb. The Korean War began this year when North Korea invaded South Korea. That was also the year that the Communist Chinese invaded Tibet.

McCarthyism began in California, especially in Hollywood, where individuals believed to be sympathetic to Communism were singled out and black-listed, a very dark and scary time in our history.

But, on a lighter note,1950 also marked the debut of the first “Peanuts” comic strip, and Saturday Morning programming began with the “Howdy Doody” show. The black and white TV was the newest thrill in homes, and it wasn’t long before the programming became a full 8 hours a day!

1950 also marked the first time in America that people began moving from the cities to the suburbs, changing the demographics across the country. The first Zerox Machine made its debut and Loyola University celebrated its first successful Kidney transplant.

The median income in 1950 was $3,300.00, and gas went for 18 cents a gallon. Yes, it was quite a year, and Mac’s arrival only made it better!

Mason, Michigan was a small community of about 3500 in 1950, and it was named after Michigan’s first Governor, Stevens T. Mason. Mason became the seat of Ingham county, and was mostly a farming community.

Mac’s mother, Ruby, worked for General Motors in that day, as well as his father, Mac. He had a half-brother, Gerard, and a half-sister, Duretta, who are both deceased. Later on, baby brother, Eugene would arrive to complete the family.

Mac grew up in the countryside, along with his brothers and sisters, doing what most boys do. His parents had a little cabin on a river, and they would go there to fish, boat, water ski, and hunt. His dad was somewhat quiet, but his mom was a feisty little German woman who saw to it that the kids stayed in line. Mac attended local schools and then graduated from Mason High School in 1969. While in Jr. High, Mac met a pretty girl by the name of Linda. But it was after they both began attending High School, that they really noticed each other. They enjoyed spending time together at her house, where the basement had been turned into a rec room with a pool table. They could spend hours down there playing pool, watching TV and talking. Mac also had a job at the Roller Rink during High School, so sometimes they would go skating. By the time they were in 11th grade, only 16 years old, they were engaged! Following graduation, Mac enlisted in the Air Force and was sent off for Basic Training. When he returned, the two of them were married in a small ceremony on November 28, 1970. Following their wedding, Mac was ordered to go to Texas where Bergstrom Air Force Base was waiting for them!

Mac chose to go into transportation during his time in the Air Force, and that led to his being in charge when the Thunderbirds came to Austin to put on one of their aerial shows. He arranged their lodging, pick ups and ferrying them from one place to the next while they were here, and all their meals. As a ‘thank you’ for all he did for them, they sent him a picture of them flying their planes in formation, and they all had signed it. That became a prized possession of Mac’s. Over the course of his career in the Air Force, the family would move a total of 6 times. Then Mac would be sent on missions, alone, from the bases. One of his missions took him to Guam, and then he served time in Viet Nam. He served a year in Iceland, where Linda couldn’t go with him. Somehow, though, they would always end up back in Austin at Bergstrom. They were living in Georgia when Mac finally retired, and then they moved back to Austin to live from then on.

In 1972, Mac and Linda welcomed their first child, a little girl they named Tammy, who was born at Bergstrom. Then, in 1973, while they were stationed in Saul St. Marie, Michigan, they welcomed a son they named Mac. Now their family was complete. Fun was never in short supply around the Bovee home! Growing up, in spite of the many moves they had to make, the family still found ample time to spend together. They managed to go to Disneyland, Seaworld, and Busch Gardens when the kids were young. When school was out, they’d take the kids to visit each of their families back in Michigan…they only lived a few miles apart! Mac’s dad still had the boat, so they would go boating on the same river Mac had grown up on, learning to ski. They also went hunting and fishing. When they were home, they played Dominoes, puzzles, and watched TV as a family.

Mac just loved to Bar-b-que, and Linda made a mean bowl of Potato Salad. Over the years, Mac graduated from chicken and hot dogs, hamburgers, and the such to Briskets. Linda said he made the best Brisket she had ever tasted. He also did ribs just as well.

When Mac finally retired from the Air Force, Linda continued to work in order to draw her full retirement. So, Mac worked for a State agency for a bit, followed by a job with the University of Houston for a time. He finished up his working career by driving 18 Wheelers . Finally, he decided to retire for good. By then Linda had retired and the two of them just enjoyed spending time together.

Mac continued to Bar-b-que, and occasionally go fishing. But the love of his life, second only to Linda, of course was his Harley Davidson. He loved that bike!

It has been said that “Four wheels move the body, but two wheels move the soul.”

Being out in nature, with the wind blowing in his face was just Nirvana to Mac. But he also really enjoyed working on cars. He was quite the handy man, taking care of all the cars in the family. It was one way he relaxed. He taught his kids how to do a variety of handy jobs around the house too. Mac was also a man who took great pride in his yard. He and a neighbor had a running competition to see whose yard looked the best. The neighbors loved Mac and relied on his help for any number of chores. He always said, “I’ll help anyone who is willing to help themselves.”

Growing up in Michigan had bred a deep respect and love for guns in Mac. He grew up shooting guns on hunting trips with his dad, and he passed that love on to his son. He also taught Linda how to shoot a gun, and gun safety. He had quite a collection of guns of all sizes of which he was quite proud.

All of his life, Mac loved animals, but especially dogs! So of course, he and Linda had dogs all of their life together. But, he loved the neighbors’ dogs as well. You can know a lot about a person by whether they like dogs! And Mac did. He had a little mini-Pinscher named Sheba, and then there was Mo, the 200 pound lap dog. Linda says that little Sheba follows her around now wanting to know where Mac is.

It was the Rev. Billy Graham who said “A good father is one of the most unpraised, unsung, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.”

and another said, “A great Dad makes memories, goes on adventures, always puts his family first, makes sacrifices, is patient, always has time for his kids, is a great teacher, and loves his kids and their mom, unconditionally.”

From what Mac's family has shared, he was a great dad. Son, Mac says his dad was all of these things, always there for them, and he couldn’t have asked for a better father.

Mac’s daughter-in-law, Kelly said that she and Mac loved each other, and always like to tease…they had an easy banter between them. She said that she had three fathers who were not who they should have been, and were mean to her growing up. When she came into the family, Mac welcomed her with open arms and was a true ‘dad’ to her. She said, “I finally felt a father’s love.”

Another of Mac’s passions in life was History. He was a voracious reader of history and always told his kids,“we learn from history.” He and Linda enjoyed watching the History channel on TV, especially programs dealing with wars. Having been a service man himself for over 20 years, he had a deep love for his country, and was always proud of the time he spent defending it.

Mac was a man of faith, who had been raised in the Lutheran tradition. Not much of a church-goer as he grew older, still, he had a deep faith. So his family asked that I read Psalm 23 in his honor:

Mac was a simple man, who enjoyed a simple life with the people he loved the most. He and Linda had three good years together, following their retirement, before he became ill. They continued to enjoy drives to Marble Falls for hot fudge sundaes, bike rides together, Dominoes, and watching TV together. The old John Wayne movies were a favorite!

Mac died surrounded by loved ones on March 26, after a couple of years of ailments, and hospitalizations. He will be greatly missed by family and neighbor alike. Grieve him as you must, but always remember that he is still as close to you as your next breath. Trust that in God’s good time, your grief will be turned to only happy memories of Mac. May God bless you as you walk this difficult journey.