Boyd Lynn McKay went home to be with his Lord early Saturday morning, July 23, 2016 at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, TX. He was 59 years old.
He was born on April 20, 1957 in Kermit, TX, to Boyd and Wanda (Williams) McKay. Although Lynn spent most of his younger years living elsewhere, he spent many summers with his grandparents somewhere around the West Texas oilfields. His grandfather was his idol and his hero. He was known as Butch to most and Papaw to the other grandkids. But to Lynn, he was Pa. It was Pa who gave him his love for hunting and fishing, as well as teaching him the art of fixing anything using basically nothing – good ole southern engineering at its finest. And Lynn became a master.
He was the only child of Boyd and Wanda, but following his mother’s remarriage, became the big brother to two brothers and three sisters consisting of two sets of twins. Due to the age difference, Lynn was often called upon to watch over all of them. As he would tell it, he had to “herd them around”, but he would not trade that time spent with all of them. When his dad remarried, he gained another brother who he also loved dearly. Even as adults, his siblings continued to depend upon him for encouragement and advice. This was a responsibility that he never took lightly.
Following the death of his youngest brother, Lynn left home at 16. While never gaining a college degree, he highly valued a good education, advancing himself through technical school and receiving various certifications. In his words, he held a Master’s Degree from “the school of Hard Knocks”.
In 1981, his mother, who was always playing matchmaker, told her new secretary that “you need to meet my son”. Her matchmaking skills paid off and on October 16, 1982, Lynn married Gwen Overstreet in Odessa, TX. Shortly after their marriage, the oilfield busted, so they moved to Houston where Gwen had previously lived. Their three children were born while living there: two daughters and one son.
Lynn and Gwen did not wish to raise their children in a large city, so they began looking for the ideal place to raise a family. They told God that any place would do, but they would never move back to Odessa. So where did God move them…back to Odessa in 1991. From that point on, Lynn’s saying was “never say never”. They spent the next 21 years in West Texas. From time to time, he would state that he would never move back to a big city, especially Houston. However, grandchildren have a strong pull, so they returned to Houston in 2012 to be closer to them.
The pride and joy of his life was his kids and grandkids. His daughters each held their own special place in his heart and he and his son were best friends. His son-in-law also quickly became a second son to him. But one of his greatest joys came with the birth of his granddaughter. She was his “sugar girl”. Then 9 years later came “Papa’s little buddy”. Both grandchildren knew that if they wanted something, all they had to do was ask Papa. He could never say no to them.
Anyone that knew Lynn knows that he was never at a loss for words. There was no such thing as a short conversation with him and he never met a stranger. Those conversations proved just what a passionate and caring person he was. Passion was what drove him, whether in work or concerning his family. However, his greatest passion was his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If you talked with him more than once, then you definitely heard him tell you about his family and his Lord.
Lynn was preceded in death by his parents, Boyd McKay and Wanda Howell, one brother, Ricky Kownatzki, and one sister, Lou Kownatzki.
Lynn was survived by his wife of 33 years, Gwen McKay of Porter, TX; daughter, Krystal Wilson and husband, Ben of Kingwood, TX; son, Shawn McKay of Gardendale, TX; daughter, Jackie McKay of Buda, TX; granddaughter, Kylie and grandson Trevor; stepmother, Grace McKay of Martin, TN; sister, Sue Michael and husband Mark, of Eastland, TX; Vickie Willoughby and husband, Darryn of Hewitt, TX; brother, Phillip Kownatzki and wife, Daun of San Antonio, TX; brother, Bobby McKay of Martin, TN, in addition to many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
A celebration of life service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, July 28, at Rosewood Funeral Home, 22271 US Highway 59, Porter, TX. Burial will follow at Rosewood Memorial Park. The family will receive visitors 5-8:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 27, at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial gift may be made in Lynn’s name to UTHealth’s Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Care Center in Houston, TX via giving.uth.edu.