Andrew Malcolm McDermaid

"Andrew Malcolm McDermaid was born in Wolsey, South Dakota, January 7, 1922. His parents were Daniel and Esther (Sunday) McDermaid.  He moved to Oregon at the age  of 13 and eventually worked on a farm on Chehalem Mountain while attempting to complete high school in Newberg, Oregon. While he did compete in wrestling and gymnastics, he always  said he was the kid reading a book on the stairs at school.  World War II got in the way of completing high school when Andrew's National Guard unit was activated after Pearl Harbor. He served 5 years, 5 months, and 14 days.  His unit spent time guarding the Washington coast at  Anacortes before being shipped out to Australia. There they prepared for pushing the Japanese back out of New Guinea and the Phillipines. During the course of his military service Andrew met his eventual best friend Lawrence Hillig.  After returning to civilian life Andrew spent time driving a delivery truck for Standard Oil to small towns in southeastern Oregon. His best friend introduced him to one sister but Andrew hit it off with the other.  Eventually he and Harriet Pearl Hillig (of Dayton, Oregon) were married and moved to Portland, Oregon.  There Andrew entered and completed the apprenticeship program for the Painting trade.  He and Harriet started a family which consisted of Kathleen Ann, Andra Lee, David Malcolm and Sharon Lynn.  The family enjoyed traveling the state of Oregon, exploring, rock hounding, fishing, birding, camping, and being tourists, during summer vacations.  Interspersed were camping trips on weekends, and the annual spring whitewater rafting trip on the Deschutes River and the fall hunting trip to eastern Oregon.  Later, he and Harriet became world travelers, visiting Australia, New Guinea, Cook Islands, Hawaii, Alaska, Great Britain, France, and Germany, as well as across the United States and Canada.  He lost his beloved wife, Harriet, but remained independently living in his home in Portland.  He passed away January 20, 2018, with his surviving children at his bedside.

It is nearly impossible to summarize a man's life such as Andrew's.  He was forever curious about the world he lived in.  His interests were wide-ranging, from woodworking to reading a western novel by Zane Grey, from geology to the newest technology, from fishing to bowling, from scrounging thru estate sales to rebuilding a lawnmower.  If you needed a birdhouse for tree swallows you came to Andy, if you needed a certain bolt you couldn't find at Home Depot you came to Andy, if you weren't sure about the guy working on your ________ (fill in the blank) you double checked with Andy.  He would take the information you gave him and the next week you would get your birdhouse, your bolt, or an opinion about that guy working on your _________(fill in the blank).  And, it would all be exactly right."

The memorial service is going to be at Luther Memorial Church, 4800 NE 72nd Ave., Portland, OR.  It will be at 10am on February 3, 2018 and there will be a gathering at the church immediately following the service.  Interment at Willamette National Cemetary will be private.  Memorial gifts may go to Luther Memorial Church.