Neil Murten Mccain

Neil Murten McCain of Grants Pass, Oregon age 84, died on May 28, 2017 in Grants Pass.

A memorial will be held on Monday, June 12, at 11:30 am at Edgewater Christian Fellowship, 101 Assembly Circle, Grants Pass.

Neil was born on December 2, 1932, in Pueblo Colorado. In 1937 his family moved to California where he was raised, and where he went to high school with his future wife, Carmen, who survives him. They celebrated their 63rd anniversary in March of this year.

Neil is also survived by his sons, Jeff McCain and Ron McCain, and his daughters, Sandra Ryan and Judi McCain Fowler. Neil also has 11 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren, many close relatives, and friends that he considered family.

Besides being a beloved husband, father and grandfather, Neil had accomplished so much in his 84 years on earth – a musician, entrepreneur, inventor, teacher and patriot. He joined the Navy at 18, serving as a sonarman aboard the USS Lofberg during the Korean War. He played saxophone and piano well enough to play with the then famous Vido Musso. In March of 1954, he set both of those careers aside to marry Carmen, the girl he took to the high school prom. Instead he chose to work with his father (Clyde) in the electrical contracting business in Southern California. In this business he brought in new technology and techniques learned in the Navy to create innovative methods and tests that saved time and money. In his spare time he created an electric car, an automatic answering machine and a sonic washing machine to name a few inventions – all in the 1960s. After moving his family to Grants Pass, Oregon, in 1970, Neil worked as a union electrician in Oregon and on the Alaska Pipeline. In the late 70’s and throughout the 90’s, Neil used his construction management knowledge and experience to create unique classes, seminars, and vocational schools, teaching hundreds of students, injured workers and contractors how to do construction estimating and project management. He used new media platforms to present these and other education courses to people throughout the US while still living in Grants Pass. He also invented several industry specific tools and calculators which are still being widely used in the construction industry.

During Neil’s “retirement” years, he joined the Korean War Veterans Association and attended meetings in Salem until beginning a chapter in Grants Pass with a few other veterans. He was devoted to honoring and assisting Veterans, especially Korean War Vets. With the assistance of the Department of Defense he created memorial certificates for Veterans and their families. He helped many Veterans and their families navigate the paperwork it takes to access VA benefits from the government. He met with politicians and others to successfully lobby for June 25 to officially be recognized as Korean War Veterans Honor Day in Oregon; later he was also successful in having I-5 through Oregon named the “Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway”. For many years Neil was the State Commander of the Oregon Korean War Veterans Association, and gave many TV, radio, and newspaper interviews advocating Veterans issues. He remained active in Veterans affairs until his passing.

The common thread for everything Neil did was his concern for people and his desire to help them practically and spiritually. He was a committed Christian and anyone talking with him for more than a few minutes would likely be presented with the Gospel. He is now where he can see the fruits of his labors.