ST. TAMMANY PARISH, LA. Obituary for: MCLAY, JOHN Submitted by: Louis Lavedan. Source: The St. Tammany News, St. Tammany, La. Published on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 ======================================================================= Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgenweb.org/volunteers/copyright.shtml ======================================================================= NOTE: If a Photo is available for an obituary record, a reference note will be included with the record. =========================================================== McLAY John McLay, 90, passed away Sept. 22, 2011, at his residence in Slidell. He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., of parents who emigrated from Glasgow, Scotland in 1921. He lived most of his life in New Jersey and New Mexico before moving to Slidell three years ago. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 64 years, Ruth Eaton McLay, who affectionately knew him as ÒMac.Ó He was the loving father of Grace Marietta Lannert (Dietrich), of Broken Arrow, Okla., and Bruce Bussell McLay (Joyce), of Slidell; grandfather of Lesley Lynn Gastwirth (Jason) and Scott Rusch McLay (Sarah) and great-grandfather of Ashlyn Janette McLay and Jake Maclin Gastwirth. He is survived by his brother, James S. McLay of Bloomington, Ind. He graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Mass., with a bachelorÕs degree in mechanical engineering in 1943. While working with Bell Laboratories in Whippany, N.J., he earned a masterÕs degree in electrical engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, N.J. A World War II veteran, John met his wife while attending the NavyÕs steam propulsion school at Cornell University. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy on an LCI(M) in the South Pacific. His ship and crew received three battle stars for operations involving the Japanese-held islands of Palau, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. After the war, while on loan from Bell Laboratories, John worked for nine years on classified military applications at Sandia Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.Mex. He returned to New Jersey in 1962 and was engaged in Bell LabsÕ undersea telephone cable projects. After 39 years of service with the company, he retired in 1985. JohnÕs spirit of adventure led he and his wife to develop a fondness of world travel, especially to Caribbean island destinations. He would scuba dive and take underwater pictures which he enjoyed sharing with his family. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. today at Honaker Funeral Home, 1751 Gause Blvd. West, (in Forest Lawn Cemetery), Slidell, with visitation from 10 Ð 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to AlzheimerÕs Research. Arrangements by Honaker Funeral Home, Inc., Slidell. ===================