Kenneth Richard "Mack" McAffrey II

Celebrating the Life of Kenneth Richard "Mack" McAffrey, II
Kenneth Richard "Mack" or "Ken" McAffrey II, a beloved son, brother, husband, father, grandfather "PaPa," Uncle Kenny, and dear friend to many, gained his heavenly wings August 27, 2024.
Ken was born August 21,1951 to Kenneth Richard and Wanda Fern (nee Maley) McAffrey at Wheelus Field USAF Hospital in Tripoli, Libya, where his father was stationed. Ken was an "Air Force Brat," and his family lived in several states as well as Germany two separate times. In 1962, when he was eleven, they landed in Midwest City, OK when his father retired from the Air Force and began his civil service at Tinker Air Force Base.
Ken graduated from Star Spencer High School in May 1970 where his nickname was "Flash" due to his love of photography. He had his own dark room in the garage and photographed weddings and many photos featured in his high school yearbooks. He even got a couple of great shots of Jimi Hendrix in concert at the OU field house in May 1970. He had a full ride scholarship for Photojournalism at UCO formerly known as Central State University. Unfortunately, the deployment of US troops to Vietnam was rampant and the first draft lottery was on December 1, 1969. Ken's draft number was 5A. College Deferments were not possible until 1971, so he promptly decided to follow in his dad's footsteps and enlisted in the Air Force. While serving from 1970 to 1974, he achieved the rank of Sergeant in June 1972. He was deployed to the Philippines in September 1972. During the 15 months he was stationed at Clark AFB, his primary job was Material Facility Specialist, but he was also assigned temporary duty on a Huey Helicopter as Air Rescue Crew Chief for several missions to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand picking up wounded soldiers. He was awarded the Air Force National Defense Service Medal, Air Force Good Conduct Medal, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.
While overseas, he continued taking photos and would send those developed pictures back home as post cards. In general, there were two things about Vietnam he would share with family and friends. First, that he met Bruce Lee, and has a pair of bamboo nun chucks that he got during his martial arts' lessons, and secondly, that he was on the medical team that went onto the plane to evaluate and treat then Lieutenant Commander John McCain in March 1973, when John landed at Clark AFB after his release from being a prisoner of war.
Ken was extremely patriotic and immensely proud to have served his country, despite the country's negative treatment of its Vietnam Veterans. He wore Vietnam Veteran Hats 99% of the time. He had about one hundred hats to choose from as well as a slew of pins, patches, decals, and flags. He always appreciated those who thanked him for his service, and he always thanked other veterans for their service.
He loved snow skiing in Maine, Canada, Colorado, Santa Fe, and Taos to name a few of the places he traveled. He enjoyed skiing and fishing with his brothers Michael and Doug. While skiing in Vail, CO, he met John Denver on the slopes who then invited Ken to ski with him. Ken thoroughly enjoyed the day, enhancing his love for John Denver and his music.
In July 1975, he met his wife Jacki Lynne Watkins at Midwest City Regional Hospital where they worked together in Respiratory Care. On December 6, 1975, they were at the hospital Christmas dance, each having their own date. He asked her to dance, and leaving their dates behind at the table together, they proceeded to dance all night. From that moment on they were together and became husband and wife on March 20,1976, to have forty-eight wonderful years of marriage. He would often refer to them as "Jack" and "Mack."
Ken experimented with various careers but found his true calling as a Respiratory Therapist starting out in 1988 as an on-the-job trainee. He completed his Respiratory Program at FTVT in 1990 and was a dedicated Respiratory Therapist for 24 years until October of 2012 when he medically retired. He loved taking care of his patients and went above and beyond to ensure they received excellent care. He was very caring and always wanted to help others in any way he could. On April 19,1995, while at a patient's house in the front yard two blocks from the Murrah Building, an ambulance, seeing him in his white lab coat and stethoscope stopped to pick him up and took him with them. This was the second ambulance at the scene of the Murrah Bombing after the bomb went off. The experience devastated him that those he tried to help, especially the children in the daycare, were already gone. Ken said it was worse than Vietnam because it was in his own backyard.
Ken was fun loving, adventurous, ornery, and loved the outdoors. He enjoyed fishing, water skiing, boating, scuba diving, snow skiing, photography, listening to music, motorcycling, going to movies, watching OU football, eating out, traveling, and spending quality time with his family and friends and his dogs and cats. He loved meeting new people, and his mother always said, "Ken never met a stranger." He and his wife traveled to many places including trips to Washington, DC nine years in a row to lobby for their Respiratory patients. One year while lobbying, he met John McCain in the Senate Building. While telling Senator McCain about the first time they met on the plane at Clark AFB, his wife took a picture of them which we sent to John McCain who autographed it and sent it back to Ken. Ken treasured that picture and had it hanging in his man cave. Ken, Jacki, and daughter Stephanie went to see their daughter, Jennifer, graduate Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, Beaufort, SC. Ken had such pride in Jennifer for being a Marine and it gave them a common bond. Ken and Jacki traveled to St. Augustine several times over the years staying 2-5 weeks at a time at "Brother Bill" Watkins' house with his family.
He spent a lot of time with each of his children going on many motorcycle trips and poker runs. He even took his dog, Sonny, for a ride in the side car. He loved taking his son Chris and daughters Jennifer and Stephanie fishing, camping, and shooting and would take them individually on business trips too. His son Chris accompanied him as a fellow motorcyclist, with Michelle on the back, on many of his long-distance motorcycle rides along with several friends and occasionally his sister Cathy. Ken was the designated "Road Captain" on these adventuresome trips always looking out for all participants, including his wife and sometimes daughter Stephanie who went on several trips with them following in a "Chase Car." Some of his trips were to the Rocky Mountains, Santa Fe, Taos, Red River, Cripple Creek, Sturgis, Mena, and Bikes, Blues and Barbeque in Arkansas. His daughter Jennifer was his regular passenger around Oklahoma, especially on Thursday evenings when a group of guys would meet at Braum's in Yukon and take easy rides to surrounding towns for group dinners. She rode with him twice on the Candy Ass Run to Mt. Scott when she was a teenager, and by the second year they had matching set of leather chaps and jackets. One of his last big rides was in 2006 when he went by himself on the Trail of Tears Ride which began in Bridgeport, Alabama through Tennessee and into Oklahoma which meant a great deal to him as his ancestors came on the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma. Ken was a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and proud of his Native American Heritage. He also loved his Irish/Scottish heritage and loved wearing his Scottish Kilt, "regimental" of course.
Ken and Jacki went on a Caribbean cruise with close friends Mike and Melissa, and they all had a wonderful time. Ken, Jacki, and their daughter Stephanie traveled together many times as "The Three Amigos" to Parris Island, Smoky Mountains, St Augustine, Orlando, Las Vegas, Branson, Sturgis, and other places. Ken took Stephanie to New Mexico to retrieve two motorcycles we had to leave behind when Harvey and Tom went off the highway down a slope and broke their ankles. Ken and Stephanie shared a love for photography and Stephanie took great pics of Ken and his motorcycle being free in the wind in Sturgis and the surrounding black hills. Ken, Jacki, and his sister Cathy traveled together many times including going to Arizona to meet their brother Rick and his family in 2019 and taking a road trip thru Tennessee, North Carolina, Hilton Head and then spending 3 weeks at "Brother Bill's" in St Augustine in 2021.
Ken loved being "PaPa" and attended Veterans' Day and Grandparents' Day celebrations at their schools and was a happy spectator at each of their various sports, dance, jujitsu, vocal programs, awards' assemblies and much more. He also enjoyed taking them out to eat, shopping, target shooting, giving them motorcycle rides in the Side Car, swimming, and watching movies together, with popcorn of course. Ken was immensely proud of each of his grandchildren and loved their big hearts and free spirits.
Preceding Ken in death were his parents, Kenneth Richard, and Wanda Fern McAffrey, his father-in-law, William Eugene "Bill" Watkins Sr, grandparents, and many aunts and uncles. Even though he never met them, Ken was preceded in death by his Mother-in-law, LaVaga Elston Watkins, and nephew Michael Dean McAffrey of AZ.
Ken is survived by his devoted wife, Jacki Lynne McAffrey of Yukon, OK; his children, Christopher David McAffrey of Yukon, OK, Jennifer Kate McAffrey of Chelsea, OK and Stephanie Dawn McAffrey of the home; his grandchildren, Chris and Michelle Soderholm's son Sean Patrick and their daughter Mary Renee McAffrey of Yukon; and Jennifer's daughters, Alyssa Lynne and Samantha Grace "Sam" Largent of Oklahoma City, OK. Ken is also survived by his siblings; Jack Michael "Michael" and wife Elizabeth A McAffrey of Littleton, CO; Cathy Joyce McAffrey of Scurry, Tx; Andrew Douglas "Doug" and his wife Michelle L McAffrey of Newalla, OK; Richard Dean "Rick" McAffrey and his wife Jean A. of Glendale, AZ; Mother in law Betty Jo Watkins of Durant, OK; Brother in law William Eugene "Bill" Watkins Jr and his wife Mary Jean of St. Augustine, FL. Ken is also survived by his nephew, Michael's son, Patrick M. McAffrey and his wife Pasquale of Brooklyn, NY; his niece, Cathy's daughter, Nicole K. (Poulos) Elliott and her husband Blake and their children Chole Elliott and Reed Elliott all of Scurry, TX; his niece, Doug's daughter, Megan L. and her husband Anthony Lee and their children Madyson and Mason Lee of Newalla, OK and Doug's son, Aaron D. McAffrey of Edmond, OK; his niece, Bill's daughter, Princess Mary Watkins of St. Augustine, FL; and his niece, Rick's daughter, Kimberly D. (McAffrey) Lish and her children, Austin, Amanda and Alaina Lish all of AZ as well as many cousins and dear friends.
Kenneth Richard McAffrey, II will be deeply missed by all who knew him. He lived life large and to the fullest. Those of us left behind will keep him living in our hearts. He is flying free now and I can see him riding his motorcycle in the sky, stopping at the river and fishing for the big bass, listening to John Denver, Bob Seger's Turn the Page and Against the Wind, Toby Keith and many more. I can also see him "Hot Dog" snow Skiing down the towering mountains, hitting the moguls and flying like an eagle.
There will be a Memory Sharing Gathering to Celebrate Ken's life on Saturday, October 5, 2024, at 2:00 PM in the Mausoleum Chapel and we will proceed to the graveside to inter his ashes. Arlington Memory Gardens Cemetery, located at 3400 North Midwest Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK. 73141
In lieu of flowers please donate to the Gary Sinise Foundation in Ken's name to: https://donate.garysinisefoundation.org/give/619980/#!/donation/checkout