Leon H. “Mac” MacKechnie, Jr., Lt. Col, US Army retired, born 25 Sept, 1928 in San Antonio, TX., died 27 July, 2011 in Norman, OK. After a brief period at Texas A&M he enlisted in the Army as a paratrooper, quickly rose through the ranks to E-7, went to officer candidate school and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. Mac became a ranger and commanded a ranger company as a 1st Lieutenant. Discovering that riding was better than walking, he switched to Armor and was an Armor Officer until retiring from the Army in 1972. Mac served in Vietnam and was an advisor with the Vietnamese Army and the Royal Laotian Army. Mac continued his sports car racing until his early 70’s when he took up skydiving. Mac skydived until age 77 when the cost of gasoline made skydiving expensive. Mac is survived by his wife Lawana, his two sons: Leon H MacKechnie III and Mark MacKechnie, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Mac will be in a viewing room Friday from 8:00AM-9:00pm. A Memorial service will be held at 2:00pm, Saturday, July 30, 2011 at Bill Eisenhour NE Funeral Home.
