Randall J McGary

Randall (Randy) J. McGary, aged 77, passed away on April 28, 2021 in Tampa FL. He was a devoted and loving husband to Mary Ellen Masterson-McGary and beloved father and best friend to Kathryn (Katie) McGary. He was also a cherished and loved brother-in-law.

Randy was born in Pittsburgh, PA on January 31, 1944 to the late Frank S. McGary and Mary Catherine (Flaherty) McGary. His early years were spent in Cleveland, Ohio.

During the Vietnam war, he proudly served his country in the US Navy from 1962 - 1968. His service included two tours of duty aboard the USS Waddell (DDG-24). During his second deployment in Vietnamese waters, the destroyer won the reputation of being "the busiest ship in the Tonkin Gulf" before heading home.

After leaving the Navy, Randy joined a team at Case Western Reserve that was designing prosthetic electronic limbs. Moving to New York, Randy worked as a Senior Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology Engineer in the Department of Medical Physics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for over 25 years. In this role, he made significant contributions to the development and implementation of CT and MRI scanners, and radiation therapy technology.

Throughout his life, Randy had a voracious appetite for learning and was an avid reader of all genres and all topics. He loved and supported the Arts in all forms and had an insatiable thirst for travel. Randy especially loved visiting family and dear friends in Ireland. He had a wonderful sense of humor, and an always engaging smile until the day he died.

In later years, Randy was challenged with many serious health issues. Often, weeks were filled with medical appointments and hospital stays. But he faced these challenges with courage and determination, supported by his caring family, friends, and physicians. Randy always looked to the future, planning for when that “better day” would arrive.

A Celebration of Life will take place on May 13, 2021, at 4 PM, at Blount & Curry Funeral Home Oldsmar, 6802 Silvermill Dr, Tampa, FL 33635.

Charitable giving was extremely important to Randy, especially to those organizations addressing global poverty and education. In lieu of flowers, his family requests that donations be made to Child Fund International or to Doctors Without Borders.

There will be an inurnment ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery later in the year.