Robert Jean McCarney Jr. was born on April 6th, 1953, and passed away on May 17th, 2022 at the age of 69. Robert was born in Michigan, the first child of Robert and Gail McCarney. As the oldest child, he helped to watch over his younger siblings. He had a life-long love of reading and learning. Although he had no training, he had the intuition of an engineer and could jury-rig almost anything.
Shortly after graduating Kaneland High School in Maple Park, Illinois, Robert volunteered for service in the United States Army, where he served for four years. For most of that time, he was stationed in Germany and Crete where he was in charge of a Chaparral anti-aircraft missile system.
After an honorable discharge from the Army, he attended some college classes before moving to Texas and working for the Federal Aviation Administration in flight service. Following additional training, he became an air traffic controller specialist. He retired from that job after almost twenty-six years.
While working in the Rio Grande Valley, he met his wife Debra. They met on a blind date arranged by mutual friends. They married in 1990, and had one gift whose name is Michael. While that last sentence may have been framed as a joke, Robert truly did view Michael, and the rest of his family, as a gift. Marrying later in life, neither he nor his wife Debra expected to be blessed with a child. They would have celebrated their 32nd anniversary this month.
He was a large man, both in personality and spirit. He could always be recognized by his heartfelt laughter, which could be heard booming across the house. He carried his belief in God with him all throughout his life and was a man of character and kindness and generosity. He used his gifts and knowledge to support his family and to help those around him.
His job in the military involved shooting down aircraft, and as an air traffic controller he focused more on keeping them in the air. Both of which left Robert with a strong interest in all things aviation. Although he was not particularly fond of his time in the service, he was quite fond of the Military History Channel, much to the enjoyment of his son and the chagrin of his wife. His love of food eventually led him to become an avid fan of Alton Brown’s cooking shows. Soon after his discovery of YouTube, Robert began a journey into the wonderous world of how-to video guides, where he would spend hours a day watching how best to solve problems. He would then pass this knowledge off to his wife, again much to her chagrin.
Robert was preceded in death by his beloved father, Robert McCarney. For whom he was named. Robert is survived by his wife Debra and son Michael of Texas; mother Gail McCarney of Illinois; and his ten siblings, including; brother Michael and wife Gracie of Florida; brother Steve and wife Tricia of Georgia; sister Cheryl McCarney of Illinois; sister Cindy Schingen and Dan Ideran of Illinois; sister Charlene Brown and husband Dan of Illinois; brother Norman and wife Julie of South Carolina; brother Kelvin and wife Cruz of Illinois; brother Phillip and wife Deanna of Illinois; brother Mark and wife Kelly of Illinois; and brother Mitchell and wife Amy of Illinois, along with numerous nieces and nephews.
Upon his passing, he wanted family and friends to have a happy celebration of his life, instead of mourning. In accordance with his wishes, we have tried to include a touch of humor in his legacy, in the hopes that this passage will lighten the hearts of any reader.
Celebration of life will be held Monday, May 23, 2022 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm at Cashner Funeral Home in Oak Hall.
