David Mccann

David McCann was a man with a curious mind, a proud heart and a keen wit, and a man with so many great passions. He was a loyal son, a loving partner and a faithful friend, and a man who always had such a deep appreciation for history, and for heritage. Today the legacy of Davids life lives on in all who knew him. Davids story began on a warm summer day in 1957, in the shoreline city of Muskegon, Michigan. Those were turbulent times in this country, as we battled the Cold War and the Space Race with the Soviet Union, and the Civil Rights movement raised tensions here at home. Yet on June 9, 1957, Charles and Deloris (Mjovig) McCann found reason to celebrate, with the birth of a baby boy, a son they named David Charles McCann. David was the couples first-born child and was baptized into the Lutheran faith at Samuel Lutheran Church in Muskegon, where he would one day be confirmed. Sadly, David's parents divorced when he was a baby, but his Mother met Paul Smith when he was 5 while working at AAA. They were married the family grew with three little siblings, his sister Melissa, and his brothers Jay and Carl. David attended Nelson Elementary School and Junior High School, before attending Muskegon High. Even as a little boy, it was clear David was very bright, and he had a curious mind and love for learning, too. He also had the same love for reading his mother possessed, a love he carried with him throughout his lifetime. He also enjoyed sports, especially football and hockey, two other life-long loves for him. After David graduated from Muskegon High in 1975, he attended Muskegon Community College for two years, earning his associates degree, before leaving the friendly confines of his hometown for Kalamazoo, Michigan, to attend Western Michigan University. There he finished his bachelors degree in public administration. In 1979, degree in hand, David took a position with the federal government, at the Railroad Retirement Board in Chicago. In 1982, he was transferred to the boards offices in Wichita, Kansas, spending nearly two years there. In 1984, David returned to the Chicago offices, where he was was a Disability Claims Examiner, a post he held for more than 25 years there. Davids job at the board gave him much more than a rewarding career, though. In 1991, he met a wonderful woman, a coworker named Kim Tate, and the two fell quickly in love. She was a single mother, and David loved her kids like his own, happy to finally have a family. David was such a vibrant, interesting man, with so many passions in his life. He loved politics, books, and new experiences, and especially loved the amenities offered by big-city living. Chicago was the perfect fit for David, a city so ingrained with history and heritage everywhere you look. David was always so interested in heritage, and counted Norwegian, Irish, French and Dutch in his own genetic background. He faithfully studied his family history, and traveled all over the world with Kim to visit places from his familys past. They visited Ireland, they visited France, and they went to the Netherlands. They toured around England, Scotland and Wales, and even went to Jamaica, too. David also traced his step-grandmothers family name, Rix, and visited many Civil War battlegrounds retracing her familys roots. David loved sharing his passions with others, as well. He wanted to take his mother to Norway, to see the place where all four of his Mjovig/Olson grandparents were born, but her fear of flying prevented them from going. He also sidelined a trip to Italy, after his health began to fail in 2002. After bravely battling an illness for five years, David sadly died on July 5, 2007, at the age of 50. David was a remarkable man, a man of great intelligence, kindness and curiosity. He was a loyal son, loving partner and faithful friend, with a beautiful smile, a quiet laugh, and a keen wit a bit of the Irish in him, as he would proudly say. We were so proud, and blessed, to have known him. He will be greatly missed. David is survived by his loving friend and companion, Kim Tate and her children of Chicago; his mother, Deloris E. Smith; his sister, Melissa D.Kuziak and her daughters, Coralie and Jamie Kuziak; his brothers, Jay D. Smith and Carl G. (wife Ruth) Smith and their sons, Mitchell and Christopher Smith: his former brother-in-law and friend, Steve Kuziak and his mother Jeanne Kuziak, all of the Muskegon area. He is also survived by his aunts and uncles: Jordis (Bill Blanchette) Hutchins (godmother), Raymond Mjovig, Janice Mjovig, Eloise and John Cihos, all of the Muskegon area, Norma (Smith) Pender (Bob) of Port Richey, Fla., LeRoy and Helen Mjovig of Jackson, Mi and Bill Deubner of Holland, Mi.; 19 cousins and their families and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his step-father, Paul G. Smith on 7/29/72; his father, Tom McCann in 1977 in Kentucky: his grandparents, Lawrence and Cora (Olson) Mjovig, Maurice and Marian (Bolthouse) McCann; Jay DeForrest Smith; George and Mildred (Rix) Schwartz; uncles, Roger Hutchins (godfather) and Kenneth Pender; and aunts, Doris Deubner, Marilyn McCann and Virginia Powell. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, August 1st, at 4 p.m. at Clock Life Story Funeral Home in Muskegon. The family would like any memorial donations to go to the Kidney Foundation in David's Memory. Arrangements locally by Clock Life Story Funeral Home, Muskegon, MI. Sympathy cards may be sent to Deloris E. Smith, University Park Living Ctr - Room 317, 570 S. Harvey St., Muskegon, MI. 49442. Please share your memories of David at www.lifestorynet.com and these will be printed out and shared with his mother.