John Patrick McCann

John Patrick McCann, MD Of San Antonio, Texas, passed away of a heart attack at his summer home in Bidderford, Maine on October 11, 2006. He was 82 years old. Following 24 years' active service with the U. S. Air Force Medical Corps as pilot and physician, John McCann continued his medical career in occupational, internal and aerospace medicine. Prior to his retirement as a colonel in 1966, he served with most of the Air Force major commands. He also acquired extensive flying time as both flight surgeon and pilot in many of the aircraft in the Air Force inventory. He was awarded numerous military awards, including Legion of Merit with Cluster. He first started flying at the age of 15 as a student pilot and has been with aviation in one form or another ever since. John McCann began his pilot training in the U.S. Army Air Force at age 20 during the Second World War and served in England as a B-17 bomber pilot with the 8th Air Force. Following the end of the war, he continued medical school until returning to active duty in March, 1949 as an intern. In 1953, he returned to flight status as a pilot for the rest of his Air Force career as both a pilot and flight surgeon. He went on to fly more than 40 different military and civilian aircraft with over 3,400 hours of flight time as a rated military and civilian pilot since 1944. He was a rated senior pilot and flight surgeon designated FAA Aviation Medical Examiner. He was a senior medical member of a number of major military and civilian aircraft accident rescue and investigating teams, which included the bombing of Pan American Flight # 103, over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988. John McCann was licensed to practice medicine and surgery in California, Idaho and New York. He was a visiting lecturer at USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks AFB, Texas, Harvard University School of Public Health and Ohio State University. He authored various papers in military and scientific journals. He served on the boards of numerous corporations, as well being an American Medical Association, Residency Review Committee Member. He held membership in numerous professional, business and medical societies, was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, was particularly active in Federation Aeronautique International as a delegate and was an associate clinical professor of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, School of Medicine. He was the wonderful and loving husband for 62 years to Elizabeth and loving father of Michael, John, Timothy, Dennis, Christopher, Joseph, Kevin, Daniel, Kathleen Whitehurst, Maureen Devine and Colleen Dempsey; grandfather of 10 grandsons; eight granddaughters; four great-grandsons; one great-granddaughter and brother to Martha Whalen. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Rose McCann; his sister Mary Nichols and his son Joseph. John McCann was a man who never found it necessary to say much about himself. He moved through life resolutely as though his many accomplishments were commonplace and not worthy of comment. For those of us who have had the good fortune to know him, we can only be overwhelmed with surprise to learn that he did so many things and accomplished so much so quietly. Never one to blame, make excuses, or complain, he was a man of great compassion, understanding and encouragement. He found the best in all of us, nurtured it and helped it flower. A Rosary for Dr. McCann was held on Monday, October 16, 2006 at 7 p.m. at Keaton's Mortuary in San Rafael, CA. A Mass will be held Tuesday, October 17, 2006 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Hilary Church. Interment will follow at Forever Fernwood Cemetery, Mill Valley, CA.