Days of Mourning
A ervices will be conducted this Friday in the Holy Cross Cemetery Mortuary Chapel, 5835 Slauson Ave., at 6:30 p.m. Visitation for family and friends will begin at 5 p.m., followed by the 90-minute Vigil Service.
A reception will follow at the McCain family home.
The Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated on Saturday at 9 a.m., at the parish of St Marys, 3647 Watseka Ave., in Palms, followed by interment at Holy Cross Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, all memorials and contributions may be made to the Charles R. McCain, Sr. Fund in support of services for homeless families and individuals c/o St. Joseph Center, 204 Hampton Dr., Venice 90291.
In addition to his wife, Mr. McCain is survived by three children, Kathleen Ann (John Engman), Chuck, Jr. (Marilyn) and Roderick John (Linda); five grandchildren (Jennifer, Nicholas, Natalie, Anne and Charlie); three great- grandchildren (Kyle, Alexa and Chance); and three American Field Service daughters (Jenny, Fleur and Liva).
He Was a Builder
Having retired as superintendent of the Bilt-Rite Cabinet Co., Mr. McCain was a third-generation carpenter and craftsman. He was known as the go-to man by friends, neighbors, and community groups. This was especially true at St. Marys Church in Palms where, as he put it, in 1995 he met Fr. Lynn, and was hooked. Mr. McCain recalled that he and longtime parishioner Gene Boggess were partners in action, fixing all things until the cancer bug got me and I had to slow down to a crawl.
Mr. McCain spent many years as a scout leader, beginning in 1960 with Cub Scouts and Boy Scout Troop 19. As first Scoutmaster of Sea Scout Ship 72, he paved the way for construction of the Pardee Scout Sea Base in Marina del Rey. He also helped to build a fleet of 13 Sabot boats. He volunteered with the Culver City YMCA with Indian Guides, and many other youth activities.
One of His Passions
Mr. McCain had a passion for the sky. Joining the BIRD Club 30 years ago beginning with radio drones, he was still building and flying radio control planes in 2006. His love of RC flyers included serving as BIRD Club membership chair and newsletter editor for many years. He also volunteered at Culver City High School where he taught young people to build and fly radio control planes, taking them on many desert outings.
In 1988, inspired by an article featuring the photograph of a young man dipping his front tire into the surf as he launched a cross-country bike ride to raise funds for its programs, Charles and Jackie began a lifelong relationship with the St. Joseph Center in Venice, which provides services and resources to help the working poor and homeless men, women, and children of all ages.
A Way to Help
In addition to volunteering hundreds of service hours over the years, Mr. McCain helped renovate their Bread & Roses Café, which opened its doors in 1989 and now serves more than 25,000 hot meals to more than 2,000 individuals annually. Today the St. Joseph Center serves as consultant to the Culver City Planning Commissions Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness.
More Memories
Perhaps Mr. McCain will be best remembered for his companionship with his wife in their many local political and community development endeavors. In addition to countless campaign seasons spearheading grassroots efforts for candidates and referenda innumerable, together the McCains led the Culver City Homeowners Assn. for three decades.
Throughout those years, other Culver City activities that Mr. McCain enjoyed giving his time to included serving on the citys 75th Anniversary Year to found the Culver City Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) as a CCARES ham radio operator, checking in each Sunday evening with Fire Station No. 1.
