Willard "Mac" Cottle McArdle

Willard Cottle McArdle was born on December 14th, 1921, in Port Angeles, Washington. He was raised in Port Angeles and later Quilcene, WA, by adoptive parents Vernon and Mabel (Cottle) McArdle. Growing up, Mac had two siblings - sisters Kathryn and Betty. Mac attended and graduated from Olympia High School. In high school, Mac lettered in basketball and was the manager of the football team.

Mac joined the Coast Guard November 2, 1938 and went into the US Navy on July 3, 1940. Mac was extremely claustrophobic, so being tasked to submarines, gun turrets, and other confining spaces turned out to be short-lived tasks. He found the role of signal man in the open air to be a much more appropriate and comfortable role in the Navy. Mac served his four-year enlistment in the South Pacific. He was in Pearl Harbor on the day of the infamous attack - just one day before he was scheduled to attend officer's school. During his service to the Navy and his country, Mac was injured and honorably discharged. He immediately re-enlisted and continued his Naval service and support of the war effort. He was honorably discharged in November of 1944.

In 1943, Mac married Louise Holcomb in Seattle, Washington. Their daughter, Sharon, was born in 1946. Mac and Louise were divorced August, 1953.

In 1946, following his honorable discharge from the Navy, Mac joined the Washington D.C., Metropolitan Police Department. Mac was not the first one in his family to work in law enforcement - his grandfather started the Washington State Patrol. In DC, Mac served as a motorcycle policeman. In 1951, Mac was hired away by the Arlington County Police Department in Virginia where he again served as a motorcycle policeman. In 1957, he went to work for the US Department of Justice as a Deputy US Marshal. His first assignment as a Deputy U. S. Marshal was in Bethel, Alaska. At that time, Alaska was still a territory and not a state.

He exchanged wedding vows with Donis Branscom on November 18th, 1957, in Seattle, WA. Mac and Donis had met in Arlington in 1955 and started dating in 1956. The two left for the Alaska Territory a week later where Mac took his post as Deputy U. S. Marshal stationed in Bethel. He was the sole law enforcement for 25,000 square miles. At that time Bethel consisted of a Post Office, Trading Post, White Alice Military site, a Native Hospital and a small Native Health Department. During their time in Alaska, Donis became pregnant with their first child. The Native Hospital was not allowed to treat non-natives so it was decided that the birth was not to take place in Bethel. The two relocated back to Arlington, VA in 1958 where Mac returned to the Arlington Police Department. Their first child, son Michael, was born in Washington, DC.

In 1959, Mac was celebrated and received an award for his saving a man's life. A gas line exploded at a road construction site - igniting road tar and one of the workers, Mr. Carl Gill. On duty that day Mac witnessed Mr. Gill ablaze and running blindly. Mac ran to his aid and in a flying tackle brought him to the ground. With the assistance of a Mr. Lawrence, they ripped his burning clothes off. Both Mac and Mr. Lawrence were treated with burns to their hands and Mr. Gill survived.

In 1961, Mac rejoined the United States Marshals Service assigned to their office in Washington D.C. He was one of 170 fellow Deputies that were sent to Mississippi by order of President Kennedy to protect Mr. James Meredith as he entered into the University during the 1962 riots. The Meredith case was one of the first of many American Civil Rights riots. He was later sent a personal letter from President Kennedy and one from the Attorney General, Robert Kennedy, thanking him for his faithful service and efforts to keep the peace during a volatile time for the American civil rights movement. He served as a Deputy Marshal in DC until 1963 when he was transferred to the Seattle Office. The young family relocated to Seattle, Wa. and made their home in Lynnwood, Washington where their daughter, Tammie, was born. They remained there until Mac transferred to the Portland Office. In 1967 they moved into their new home in Hillsboro, Oregon.

In 1971, a federal prisoner attempted to escape from a commercial passenger airliner before takeoff. Long story short, a distracted guard not at his post allowed the prisoner a chance to get to the door. He managed to get it open and jumped 25 feet the ground. The guard was still in his seat when Mac bailed out the same door with the plan of landing on him. Unfortunately, Mac crushed his heal when he hit the tarmac. This is what helped him perfect his John Wayne like swagger. Fortunately, the prisoner still went to jail and Mac got a 2 week vacation in the hospital. And, FYI, Donis freaked out as she watched her husband fly out the door of a jetliner.

As the years passed as a Deputy US Marshal, Mac received numerous accommodations and awards for his exemplary performance and dedication. Throughout his career both as a policeman and Deputy US Marshal, Mac was highly liked and respected. Others soon discovered he was a force to be reckoned with. His assignments took him all across the country. Some more dangerous than others, e.g., his detail in Guam in the 1970’s where he and the other Deputies found themselves under fire. He also enjoyed meeting and escorting dignitaries from foreign countries and frequently received Thank You cards/notes from them. They were as impressed with him as he was with them.

Mac continued his career as a Deputy US Marshal for the Oregon District and he retired from service as a Deputy Marshal in 1981. He took a brief time away but soon returned to work - this time as a security officer for the US Federal Courthouse in Portland. Just like his days as a Deputy Marshal, he loved his work at the courthouse and the people he served and worked with and they loved him. Mac retired from work in security in 2002.

Mac had many interests and things he liked to do. He absolutely loved televised sports and followed them all. His favorite Hollywood actors were John Wayne and Clint Eastwood - especially Wayne's role in McClintock. Some of his favorite recording artists were Kate Smith, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. He enjoyed fishing and was an avid gun and knife collector. Mac loved muscle cars and it has been said that he "always had a new car". He would drive to work in one car and come home in another. Over the years, Mac drove a Thunderbird, a Challenger, a green Road Runner, and several motorcycles and pickup trucks. He had the special opportunity to purchase the de-commissioned motorcycle that he used during his time as a DC officer. Mac had a great love of the military and his country. God Bless America and the Star Spangled Banner always brought him to tears.

Mac will be remembered as a person who truly enjoyed other people. He was warm and engaging easy to like - though yes, on occasion, he had the capacity to be more than just a little bit ornery if the occasion called for it or even if it didn’t. It has been said that "everyone loved Mac - even the prisoners!" Mac enjoyed escorting prisoners in his muscle cars and the prisoners loved Mac. There are countless letters that he collected over the years from prisoners that he had interacted with. Thanking him for his courtesy and humanity in dealing with them. Mostly, they just thought he was cool! Mac was also an animal lover - he especially liked the big dogs, dogs that could serve in law enforcement. He had huskies, German shepherds, Doberman pinschers, to name a few breeds. For a time, he also had a little potbellied pig named "Harley Hog" that lived much of its life in the sleeve of Mac's leather jacket. See article regarding soft hearted police officer and squirrel. An inside family source of much laughter, anecdotes and memories is Mac's complete lack of any mechanical aptitude. Joining a nut to a bolt was just beyond his grasp. If Mac did chose to immerse himself in a construction or repair project, it is certain there would be plenty of "caulk, super glue and duct tape" involved; sometimes resulting in a new semi-permanent, sticky hairstyle for the dog!

Mac is predeceased by his parents Vernon and Mabel; sisters Kathryn and Betty; and his beloved granddaughter, Nicole.

Mac is survived by his loving wife, Donis; daughter, Sharon Mann; son, Michael McArdle; daughter, Tammie McArdle; grandchildren, Diana Matthew, Raymond Mann, Sean, Cody, and Jennifer McArdle; great-grandchildren, Nuri Matthew, and Keenan and Trace McArdle; and his beloved animal companion Toby.

While his talents did not lend to home repairs, he was a good and loving father who loved his wife and children more than anything. Even though divorced since 1977, Mac and Donis were always there for their children and each other. The love and respect they shared for each other is a true testimony of the partnership they entered into back in 1957. Every conversation with his family ended with an “I Love You”.

Mac outlived so many of, most, of his friends and fellow police officers and deputies. He had a thirst for life.

Those who met Mac never forgot him. Those who knew him will forever love and respect the special man that he was.

A celebration of Mac's life will take place in Skyline Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home on Wednesday, July 10th, 2013, at 1pm. A reception will take place in Skyline Hospitality Room following the graveside committal service.

Please visit Mac's Internet memorial and online guest book at www.skylinememorialgardens.com. Thank you.

Below is a letter sent to Mac's daughter, Tammy McArdle, by Director Stacia A. Hylton of the US Department of Justice, United States Marshals Service:

Dear Ms. McArdle:

On behalf of the entire United States Marshals Service, please accept our condolences on the loss of your father, former Deputy U.S. Marshal Willard C. "Mac" McArdle.

Mac, as your father was affectionately known throughout the Agency, leaves behind a lasting legacy. He began his career as a Deputy U.S. Marshal serving as a one-man office in Bethel, Alaska. Mac was also one of the 127 Deputies protecting James Meredith when he became the first African American Student of the University of Mississippi in 1962. Additionally, he assisted with the Vietnamese expatriate crisis in Guam in 1975. In important moments in America's history, your father was committed to the pursuit of justice.

In honor of Mac's numerous contributions to the Marshals Service, a tribute article was recently published in our Agency's Intranet site. I thought you might like to see it, so I have enclosed a copy.

Mac was a patriot who served our nation not only in his career with the Marshals Service, but also through tours of duty with the United States Navy and several local police departments. We remember his service with gratitude and pride.

The thoughts and prayers of the Marshals Service family are with you during this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Stacia A. Hylton

Director

~Below is the article that appears on the Marshals Service Intranet Site~

Willard C. "Mac" McArdle

Longtime Deputy U.S. Marshal (DUSM) "Mac" McArdle was known for his dedicated career as a law enforcement officer, his ability to inspire friends,and appreciation of family. Most of all, he had an amazing knack to be at the center of history while it was occurring - several times.

Willard Cottle McArdle was born on December 14, 1921, in Port Angeles, Washington. Law enforcement was in the family, as his grandfather had been the catalyst that started the Washington State Patrol.

After a two-year stint in the Coast Guard, McArdle joined the Navy in 1940. It was there he faced personal peril when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, setting off America's war in the Pacific. He continued his service until his honorable discharge in November 1944. He then served as a motorcycle officer in the Metropolitan Police Department in the District of Columbia and in Arlington County, Virginia.

McArdle joined the U.S. Marshals twice. The first time, in 1957, he was immediately assigned to the District of Alaska, which is still a territory and divided into four divisions due to its size. Assigned to the one-man office in Bethel, Alaska, "Mac" had to use ingenuity as his post covered a large mass of land. There were only six in his entire division, and his U.S. Marshal was stationed in faraway Fairbanks. He temporarily resigned to tend to family and move east.

He rejoined the U.S. Marshals on November 27th, 1961, and served in the District of Columbia. Not even a year later, McArdle was one of the DUSMs sent to integrate the University of Mississippi. Alongside 126 other DUSMs and upwards of 300 deputized Border Patrol, Federal Prison Guards, and Mississippi National Guard Members, "Mac" held the line around the registration building, known as the Lyceum. They faced a crowd of thousands and a barrage of bricks, acid, and buckshot. The DUSMs could only fire their gas guns. McArdle remembered the leader Al Butler's striped helmet, which was designed to keep the DUSMs aligned. He said, "As long as I saw Al's helmet, I knew we would be all right." The DUSMs stood their ground until the siege was lifted by the Army.

"Mac" transferred to the Western District of Washington in 1963, and by 1972 was posted in the District of Oregon. In both these posts, he traveled extensively, particularly on extraditions. He was also involved in early Special Operations Group activity, such as the Vietnamese expatriate crisis in Guam in 1975. McArdle retired in 1981.

"Mac" McArdle passed away on June 27th, 2013.