Henry McKay

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish.
But have everlasting life.”
John 3:16

Deacon Henry McKay, Sr., 87, was the son of the late Louis McKay and Rosella Early McKay. He was born in Luray, SC, Hampton County, October 25, 1932. He departed this life on October 12, 2020.

Henry McKay, Sr., was the oldest son and the second child of eight children born to Louis and Rosella McKay. He attended grammar school in the Township of Luray, SC. He continued his education at Estill Training High School, Estill Township, SC.  He also studied bricklaying and masonry work.

He joined the Union Baptist Church, Luray, SC at an early age and was very active in Sunday school and other activities. Henry met and married Theo Wright in 1953. Shortly thereafter he was ordained a Deacon at Union Baptist Church, where he served faithfully until he moved to Jacksonville, FL.

Henry and Theo returned to South Carolina a year later. Shortly after the birth of their son, Henry, Jr., Henry, Sr. and his family moved to Jersey City, NJ where they lived for 15 years. While living in Jersey City, he joined the Monumental Baptist Church, where he worked faithfully with the Trustee Board.

Henry started his career as a skilled bricklayer and masonry worker and joined the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craft Workers. He was a member of Local No. 4 of Passaic, NJ for more than 50 years. He helped build many important buildings such as Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, the Delaware Water Gap, and the World Trade Towers. He also ran his own construction business, M.K. Construction, for several years.

Henry and his family moved to Jackson, NJ in 1971. He became a member of the Macedonia Baptist Church of Lakewood, NJ and served as a deacon for 30 faithful years.  However, Henry never completely relinquished his ties with Monumental Baptist Church.  He decided to spend his later years at the church, where he was well respected as a longtime member of the Trustee and Deacon Board. In his last years, he attended Hope Cathedral International with his wife.

Henry is survived by his wife, Theo Wright McKay; son, Henry McKay Jr.; daughters Priscilla McKay-Mathurin, Karen McKay, Elizabeth Seriven, and Glenda McKay Smith (deceased); four sisters, Essie Gordon (deceased) of Vamsville, SC, Josie Lee McKay and Lucille Perdue of New York, NY, and Rosamae Wright of Camilla, GA;  three brothers, Willie McKay, Louis McKay, Jr., and Thomas McKay (deceased), of Newark, NJ; ten grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.

We love Henry McKay, Sr., but God loves him best and had decided that on October 12, 2020 he had finished his course, and it was time for him to come home.

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