Name: Visitation for Vincent P. McGinn
Start: 2017-08-21T21:00:00.000Z
End: 2017-08-22T01:00:00.000Z
Location: Butala Funeral Home & Crematory - Sycamore

Vincent P. McGinn

Born: July 10, 1946; in the Bronx, NY

Died: August 15, 2017; in Chicago, IL

Vincent P. McGinn, 71, of DeKalb, IL. died unexpectedly on Tuesday, 15 August 2017, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

He was born 10 July 1946 in the Bronx, NY, the oldest child of Vincent and Marion (O'Neill) McGinn, both of whom preceded him in death. He married Mary S. Richarm in 1978. Vince was a proud graduate of Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Bronx. He completed his undergraduate studies in electrical engineering and psychology at New York University in 1968, and earned his first Master's degree there the following year. His second Master's in astronomy and his doctorate in electrical engineering were from Penn State.

He was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force in 1968. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after 27 years of faithful service. He taught at Fordham University, Rose College, Air Force Institute of Technology, Penn State, University of Tulsa, Virginia Military Institute and Northern Illinois University.

Vince loved amateur radio, cats, Corvettes, good scotch and mafia movies. He was an excellent story teller, and never told a tale without embellishments. He strongly believed in the value of lifelong education, both as learner and teacher. He held a commercial helicopter license, and greatly loved flying. One of Vince's most treasured life experiences was his invitation to Rome to witness the canonization of St. Marcellin Champagnat. Vince was intensely loyal to his family and friends, and he had an uncanny ability to connect with people. Although he believed that God loved everyone, he also believed that God must consider him to be one of His favorite people because of how richly blessed he was in his life on Earth. He will be missed beyond measure.

Survivors include his wife, Mary; his son, Nathan McGinn; his daughter, Julie (Andrew Gross) McGinn; his sister, Marianne Trale; and a large and loving extended family.

His visitation will be on Monday, August 21, 2017 from 4:00 to 8:00pm at Butala Funeral Home and Crematory, 1405 DeKalb Ave., Sycamore, IL. A funeral mass will be at St. Mary DeKalb, 329 Pine St, DeKalb, IL on Tuesday, August 22, 2017 at 10:30am. Burial will follow at Fairview Park Cemetery.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Marist Brothers @ www.maristbr.com.

To sign the online guest book or write a special memory, go to www.ButalaFuneralHomes.com or call 815-895-2833.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Daily-Chronicle on Aug. 19, 2017.

Memories and Condolences
for Vincent McGinn

Sponsored by Butala Funeral Home & Crematory - Sycamore.

17 Entries

Raymond B. Persino

July 25, 2024

This posting is many years late, but I only now learned of Dr. McGinn´s passing by looking to reach out to him. I graduated with an electrical engineering degree from NIU in the summer of 1998, and the last time I spoke to him must have been shortly before his passing. Frankly, this news saddens me deeply. I have been blessed with a few teachers in my life that left an indelible mark, and he was one of them. I only had one class for which he was my teacher, namely electromagnetics. He was not an easy teacher and had high expectations, yet he balanced that with the right amount of patience if one put the effort in. He was inspirational beyond measure and motivated me to rise higher. Fortunately, I was in the right moment of my life to be receptive to his lessons. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to have gleaned from his genius in electromagnetics and to have been infected with his passion for electrical engineering. To this day, I retell stories he shared with me about his time in the military, his time working on the antenna systems of the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, his time flying helicopters, his engineering projects, etc. At my graduation he sought me out to shake my hand; that meant more to me than the diploma. I hope he was aware of the meaningful impact he had on his students.

Kaveh Ashenayi

Planted Trees

Mohamed Kandil

April 11, 2018

Dr. McGinn was indeed one of the special people to have graced my life, and I was very fortunate for that. While he was one of the most challenging professors who has ever taught me, I can say with pride that everything he has taught me has stuck with me to this day. He is the kind of person who leaves a lasting impression. Outside of class, he was an absolute blast to be around!! His untimely departure saddens me no doubt, however I will continue to send prayers his way and relish the great memories I have with him.

Jason Pittenger

September 13, 2017

I just heard the news today...

I am a BS EE 2012 graduate.
When I first met Dr. McGinn, he was the hardest teacher I had ever had. But I soon realized it was because of his love for teaching, that he pushed his students to achieve far more than they thought possible. I learned many engineering and life lessons from him. He truly loved teaching and helping students.

I had the opportunity to visit his office this past spring, and spent a couple hours catching up with him. He was such a joy to talk to. He took the time to show me all the projects he was working on, and share even more of his knowledge, even though I was no longer a student.

I will miss him dearly. I will never forget his legacy.

August 22, 2017

Mary and family:
We are so sorry for the loss of Vince.
We will be keeping your family in our prayers. You and Vince were so good to mother. We will never forget your kindness to her. She enjoyed that trip
to New York City so much.
So sorry we could pay our respects in person.
In sympathy.
Bo & Becky
Columbiana, OH

August 21, 2017

Vinn was one of God's best creations, may he dwell with Him for all eternity. Rest in peace, my brother.

Wyler O. Michael, Jr. Fraternity brother and longtime friend.

Kaveh Ashenayi

August 21, 2017

Mary, Julie and Nathan,

Leyla and I are very sorry to hear of Vince's passing. Vince was a joy to have around. He was my first mentor when I got to TU. We all miss him.

Surendra Singh

August 21, 2017

Mary, Julie and Nathan,

We are saddened to hear of Vince's passing. Vince had a way of making everyone around him jovial and happy. He always greeted you with a smile. We will miss him dearly.

Surendra and Ritu Singh
Tulsa, OK

Johnny Vanderford

August 21, 2017

I'm a MS EE grad of NIU 2010, I took classes with Dr. McGinn and did a little work for him too. He trained me on his equipment, pushed me to succeed in his classes, and made me a better engineer. Dr. McGinn had a great drive for teaching and a fantastic one-of-a-kind sense of humor, he was a great guy. He passed something very important that I will not forget how to give it your all.

Now I'm an asst. Professor at a community college in Ohio, teaching classes in microelectronics. I recently gave an AC/DC circuits course to some of my students. For my first time I taught this course it made me think back to when I had Dr. McGinn in my circuits course. I thought to myself, "I've seen it done, and I've seen it done right, and I'll give it my all."

My condolences to Dr. McGinn's family, friends, and co-workers at NIU, he leaves behind a great legacy that will be remembered.

Cheers to peace & rest on Cloud 9 Dr. McGinn.

Robert & Vada Strattan

August 20, 2017

Mary, Julie, Nathan & family,

We are so sorry to learn of Vince's passing. Our deepest condolense in this time of your morning. He will be missed by all of us that he touched in his passionate pursuit of an exciting and productive pursuit of an exceptional life experience.

We are so thankful for the time of Vince's and your tenure in Tulsa. He made a significicant impact on the lives of students at the University of Tulsa, our emerging Electrical Engineering Deparment and all of us that he touched.

Vince was always one to go far beyond expectations on any task he undertook. I remember his first day of classes when he started at TU. The Avanti caught fire at the entrance to the campus, resulting in a fire truck run to extinuish the burning power steering fluid and smoldering fiberglass. He arrived late for his first class with apologies for for being late. The only time that I can recall he missed teaaching a class.

Rest in peace, Vince.

Andy Appleget

August 20, 2017

Dr. McGinn,
It is really sad to hear this news and I, as well as my fellow classmates, will truly miss you. I will never forget your lessons not only in engineering, but in life as well. Thank you for your recommendation for graduate school and all of the hard work you put into helping us learn. I still have all of your notes and your mentorship will serve me for years to come.

Jon and Sandy Kline

August 19, 2017

Sandy and I are truly saddened by Vince's passing. He was more than just a friend to us; he was an amazing person. He was kind and caring and always willing to help. Vince was truly one of a kind. His passing will not only leave a void in our lives, but in the hearts of everyone who knew him. Our love and prayers are with you, Julie, and Nate and may God give you strength, comfort, and peace.

Scott Kaurin

August 18, 2017

There are few people that make such an impact on our lives. Dr. McGinn is one of those superb individuals who truly inspired and amazed me. I am so very grateful and honored to have been a student of his. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. He will forever be in so many of our hearts.

Emily Jenkins

August 18, 2017

Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Mary, Nate and Julie at this time. May God Bless and comfort you at this time.

Roger & Sharon Lemke

August 17, 2017

Our thoughts and prayers are with you. May wonderful memories bring you comfort.

Theresa Richarme

August 17, 2017

Words can't begin to express the sadness. Wish I could make it up there and give you a lil sis, heartfelt hug. Vince is without pain now, may God bless his soul. The real pain is yours and the family, and for that I am truly sorry. Time and faith will heal all, we pray. God bless you as you move forward, slowly and in small steps each passing day. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult transition. Love you sis

Kristi Sheets

August 17, 2017

Uncle Vinny, you will be missed. The world lost an incredibly smart man. You have achieved so much more in life than most people ever dream of, And have helped educate so many others. Rest easy and much Love. We will all see you again one day.

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