Daniel Acey McCall

Daniel Acey McCall was born on September 17, 1937, near Mayo, FL in his Grandparent's farmhouse. His parents were Acey McCall and Geraldine (Howell) McCall. His younger brother, Marion (George) McCall arrived five years later. Daniel spent his early childhood years on the family's farm in Miccosukee, FL, later spending time in Mayo, FL, and finally near Chaires, FL. He graduated from Leon High School in 1955 and remained in touch with his classmates over the years, attending class reunions and maintaining e-mail lists and contact information for them. He enlisted in the US Army immediately after graduation, completed Basic Training, and was assigned to Ft Huachuca in Arizona as a Radar "Countermeasures" Operator. He remained there for the duration of his enlistment, during which time he returned home on leave to Tallahassee and married his High School sweetheart, Gail Dee Harrison. She moved to Ft Huachuca for the remainder of his service, and their eldest son Alan was born on the Base during this time. Daniel and Gail returned to Tallahassee upon completion of his service in the Army and he joined the Tallahassee Police Department as a Patrol Officer where he served for several years. He then decided to attend Florida State University to obtain a degree and build a better life for his family. Gail worked to support the family during this time, and he received a bachelor's degree in the accounting program a year ahead of schedule. During this time, he and Gail welcomed their second son Roy to their family. The Accounting degree was soon used to obtain a position with the State of Florida - Auditor General's Office, where he remained for many years. He then accepted a promotional position with the Department of Environmental Regulation (now incorporated into DEP). During this time, he and Gail welcomed their third child and only daughter, Carrie, into the family. Following this, he again accepted a promotional position with the State Comptroller's Office, serving as Chief of Auditing until his first (full) retirement from State of Florida employment in 1995 with 30 years of service. He took a year off and then returned to employment with the State and worked in several Agencies including JAC, DBPR, DOH, and AHCA, and retired again in 2014 with nearly 50 years of State employment. In addition to his love of his family and spending time with his wife and children (and later - grandchildren), he also enjoyed many hobbies and activities throughout his life. He and Gail shared a lifelong love for horses and always kept several on the farm. Their favorite horse of all time, "Dusk" was with them for 30 years. Daniel loved fishing and hunting, especially wild turkey hunting, and spent many years enjoying these pursuits. He played competitive tennis for many years and participated in "work league" softball. Daniel was also a skilled craftsman and handyman, completing many repairs and construction projects with friends and family, including the construction of many barns, houses, and other structures. Working with his father-in-law, Sterling Harrison and his brother-in-law, Buddy Harrison, they constructed a unique, two-story family vacation cottage in Mexico Beach, FL. It was used and thoroughly enjoyed by the family for decades. A crowning achievement for him was the construction of his own family home in 1973, where he resided until the present day. Daniel also enjoyed woodworking, completing many projects including a large dining room table, a china cabinet, a coffee table, and bunk beds. He was a lifelong aviation enthusiast, obtaining a private pilot license which he used for recreational flights for many years, and continued to attend aviation events and "EAA" Aviation group meetings thereafter. Daniel had an affinity for tractors, farming equipment, and heavy machinery. He maintained and restored several farm tractors, a backhoe, and a front-end loader. He frequently used all of these on the family farm. Daniel was a genealogy enthusiast long before it was "cool" and generated an extensive family history record. Later in life, he enjoyed composing collections of stories about family members, friends, and various life events and experiences before they were forgotten or lost. A few years ago, he published a book of Memoirs titled, "A County Boy Did Survive", and continued to record additional stories whenever they were recalled, adding to the collection. Daniel was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, having accepted him as Lord and Savior at a young age and was baptized in a local family pond following attendance of Revival services. He retained his faith throughout his life, applying these values in his family with Gail. He served as a Deacon in the family Church and applied his time and talents in many other ways there as needed. Daniel is survived by his wife of 68 years, Gail Harrison McCall, three children, Alan McCall (Marianne), Roy McCall, and Carrie Ley (Frank), nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. The family will receive guests at the visitation service to be held at Bevis Funeral Home in Tallahassee, FL, on Sunday, October 5, at 6:00 PM. Graveside services will be held at the Tallahassee National Cemetery on Monday, October 6 at 10:00 AM. Niki Carney of Bevis Funeral Home (www.bevisfh.com or 850-385-2193) is assisting the McCall family with their arrangements.