James Edward McVey

McVey, James Edward "Red" Age 80, of Chicago, passed away on May 4, 2020 after a hard-fought battle with Alzheimer's disease. Jim was born on April 22, 1940 to Edward Henry McVey and Berenice Margaret Appel at the Roseland Community Hospital in Chicago, IL. He was raised by his devoted maternal grandparents, Henry and Margaret Appel. At age seventeen, on June 17, 1957, he joined the United States Airforce and worked as an Electronic Navigation Equipment Technician. After his honorable discharge in 1961, he spent the next two decades providing for his growing family by rising in the ranks of the steam plant at the manufacturing company, Wyman - Gordon, while residing in Country Club Hills, IL. On May 31, 1985, he married Ellen Marie Hooks and soon they completed their blended family of six daughters and three sons. Shortly after, he finished a certificate program at Triton College in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration and went on to work as a licensed stationary engineer for almost 25 years, spending most of those years at the Chicago Housing Authority and commuting from St. Anne, IL. Throughout his life and into his retirement he lived up to his nickname Encyclopedia Jim and sought out his endless interests. A shortlist of those interests includes avidly following Chicago sports teams, cooking for his family, hiking and camping all over the United States and Canada, teaching his children and grandchildren to fish, doing woodworking, watching movies and classic films, and studying history. A voracious reader and lifelong lover of learning, he pursued knowledge until the day he died. Jim was predeceased by his brothers John and Henry Kahsen. He is survived by his wife - Ellen McVey; his siblings - Charles Bruining, Patsy Curran, Jerry Kahsen, Larry Kahsen, and Peggy Sweet; his children - Richard Frye, Joyce Frye, Nina Santiago, Diana McVey (Hughes), Lorelei McVey (Vogelmann), John McVey, John Hooks, Claudine Milaneses, and Mary Kate McVey; and so many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, all of whom he loved dearly. Donations in honor of Jim's life may be made to The Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org/donate. Condolences to his wife may be mailed to Ellen McVey c/o Mary Kate McVey, 770 Indian Trail Road, Depoe Bay, OR 97341. A brief blessing of his ashes will be held at 11:00 a.m. (PDT) on Saturday, May 16, 2020, at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Lincoln City, Oregon. This ceremony will be live-streamed via Zoom and Facebook Live for those who would like to watch and participate. Due to COVID-19 concerns and restrictions, a full service with military honors will be scheduled for late spring 2021 in the Chicagoland area to mark the first anniversary of his death. This service will allow all of his friends and family from across the country to honor his life and spread his ashes in the city he loved, where he belongs. Sign Guest Book at legacy.suntimes.com

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James Edward McVey

April 22, 1940 - May 4, 2020