Goodbye to a good guy

A story about a friend of mine...whose funeral viewing I attended on Sunday.

His name was Jack McClean. He served not only my fire company, the Providence Volunteers, for around sixty years, as an active firefighter and financial administrator, but also, he gave of his considerable expertise in money matters to the Baltimore County Volunteer Firemen's Association, and if you know anything about volunteer fire companies, you surely know they have to make every dollar do the work of five.

Jack knew about money. He was graduated from the University of Maryland and worked for many years in the banking industry. In fact, I called on him any time I had a question about a mortgage structure, or anything that was beyond my ken in wallet and checkbook matters (I was able to make change for a twenty and that was about it as far as doing things without expert advice.)

The viewing was packed with people, and that tells you a lot about the amount of people Jack reached with his friendly personality and helpful ways. 

Volunteers from Lutherville filled in
for the funeral and viewing.

And here is the story I promised: In my first summer as a firefighter, I told the other guys that my family and I were going to Salisbury, MD, the next day. Jack said, off handedly, "Hey, stop in at our First National office on the downtown mall and tell Mr Fitzgerald I said hello."

I did that. I like to meet new people. Skinny Mark in t-shirt and cutoffs was ushered into Mr Fitzgerald's office as soon as I mentioned "Jack sent me." I had a nice chat with Mr Fitzgerald about Salisbury and what a great town it is and how great the fried chicken is down there and whatever else can get discussed in fifteen minutes, and I left him with a promise to say hey to Jack when I got back home.

Five years later, I moved to Salisbury to work at WICO AM-FM and, not knowing anyone at any banks where I could safely deposit my $90 weekly pay, I wandered into the same bank and asked for Mr Fitzgerald. He bounded out of his office with a grip and grin and said, "Did Jack send you again?"

So now Jack is straightening out checkbooks at a whole new location and he takes a lot of great memories with him. As someone said, he was one of the last of the breed of people who work so hard for so many people...for nothing but the satisfaction of having helped.