Andrew McDonald Ltc Gay, Jr.

Mack was born on November 2, 1931 in Denton, Texas, to Andrew McDonald Gay, Sr. and Gladys Bruce Gay.

He graduated from Denton High School in 1948 and attended North Texas State College. While in high school he met the love of his life, Barbara Wadley. They married on September 10, 1950 at the Little Chapel in the Woods on the Texas Woman's University campus.

Mack's mother died of cancer in 1958. In 1962, his father married Mary Claude Bays Gambill. Growing up as an only child, Mack was thrilled to gain three brothers, Woody, David and Jim. In 1952 Mack was drafted into the U.S. Army to serve in the Korean conflict.

Upon his return from the war, between 1955—1959, he went to work for his father in the roofing, sheet metal, heating and air conditioning business.

Between the births of his two daughters, Patricia and Rebecca, Mack enlisted in the Army after deciding to make it his career. An artillery specialist, he graduated from Officer Candidate School and went on to serve two tours of duty in Vietnam, first as a battery commander, then as a battalion executive officer. Mack graduated from the Command and General Staff College and later served for three years on its faculty, where he developed training management courses which became the model for future instruction.

For two years he served as an Intelligence Staff Officer working on the development of a computerized Counterintelligence Record Information System. His most enjoyable assignment was when he served as Senior Aide-de-Camp to the Deputy Commander in Chief of U.S. Army Europe in 1973-74.

He retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel in1978 after a stint as an assistant Inspector General of the Fifth U.S. Army at Fort Sam Houston. In 1970 Mack earned his B.S. degree in business management at Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia. Military honors awarded Mack include the Legion of Merit and four Bronze Stars.

He was one of the first recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal established by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and ultimately was awarded three such medals.

After retiring from the Army, Mack began a second career in the banking industry with Houston National Bank. Among other duties he was manager of check processing, an employment manager and manager of lobby services. After the bank was acquired by North Carolina National Bank, Mack was transferred to Dallas, where he started a contracts and standards department for the bank's Texas operations. He retired in 1976 as Vice-President in charge of the contracts and compliance department. In 1997, Mack and Barbara moved to The Towers retirement community in San Antonio where Mack served four years on the Board of Directors, one as President. Mack was an avid ham radio operator and enjoyed traveling throughout the U.S. and Europe with Barbara.

In addition to assisting Towers residents with computer problems, visiting his children and grandchildren, and playing golf, Mack enjoyed researching his Scottish ancestry and rooting for the Spurs.

He loved the arts, attending theater, light opera and the symphony with Barbara. While working in Houston, Mack served for three years on the Theater Under the Stars executive and long range planning committees.

He was honored as the first recipient of the Gary D. Bearden Award bestowed by the Business Volunteers for the Arts for his assistance with computerization and programming material, fundraising, and the founding of a new volunteer group for TUTS. Growing up, Mack loved his horses and his model airplanes.

If not for poor eyesight, he would have pursued a career as a pilot. After retirement, he flew all over the world on his computer flight simulator.

Mack joined the Methodist Church at the age of 12, and served as head of the youth fellowship at his church. Over the years, he was a Sunday school teacher, treasurer, president and superintendent.

At the time of his death, he and Barbara were members of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. Mack was preceded in death by his parents, Mack Sr., Gladys, and Mary Claude Gay; infant sister, Beverly Jan Gay; and infant son, David Benjamin Gay. Mack is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Barbara, of San Antonio; children, Patricia Westfall and husband Lynn of San Antonio; Rebecca Eberth and husband Ed of Glendale, Arizona; grandchildren Sara Westfall, Brian Westfall and Drew Eberth. He is also survived by brothers Woody Bays and wife Liz of Denton; David Bays of Ft. Worth; and Jim Bays and wife Sam of Bentleyville, Ohio; sister-in-law Sammy Taylor of Angleton, Texas; cousin Dan Bruce and wife Connie of Montgomery, Texas; and by his nephews and nieces.