Mac G Bain

Remembering Mac

Mac Bain was born on November 19, 1937, in Uncas, Oklahoma, in Kay County, a small community whose former site now lies largely beneath Kaw Lake. He was the son of Ralph Bain and Mae Friis Bain.

His family had a farm near Newkirk, Oklahoma, and Mac grew up learning about animals and farm life. He learned animal husbandry and, as a young man, was pursuing an education with the goal of becoming a veterinarian.

Mac also liked to tell about his family's gas station in Uncas. Even at a young age, he drove a fuel truck to deliver fuel to area farmers. It seems fitting that some of his early memories involved working, driving, figuring things out, and being trusted with responsibility. Those would remain themes throughout his life.

 

Mac and Nancy

While attending college in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Mac met Nancy Russell of Ponca City. They married on September 6, 1958.

Nancy's grandmother was active as one of Jehovah's Witnesses and gave them the book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained. During a semester break, Mac and Nancy read the book together. Mac quickly became convinced that what he was learning was the truth taught in the Bible.

They began studying the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses and continued to progress spiritually. Eventually, Mac and Nancy decided to leave college so that they could pursue their spiritual goals. They moved to Ponca City, where Mac went to work for Noble Gene Boies, an electrician.

That decision established a pattern for much of their life together. When they saw an opportunity to do more in their worship, they were willing to rearrange their lives to do it.

In 1964, Mac and Nancy moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, to help the small Witness congregation there. It would not be the last time. In 1975 they moved to Fairfax, Oklahoma, and over the years they also supported congregations in Pawnee, Skiatook, and Cleveland, eventually returning to Skiatook.

 

A Man Who Could Make Things Work

Mac believed in hard work, and he was ready to get to work himself.

His main occupation became house moving, work that demanded much more than physical strength. Moving an entire house required ingenuity, practical judgment, mechanical ability, and a working knowledge of many trades.

Those abilities suited Mac.

He became something of a "master rigger." If he didn't have exactly the right part, the right tool, or even the right circumstances, Mac had a remarkable ability to devise a way to make things work. A difficult problem wasn't a reason to stop—it was something to figure out.

That resourcefulness was part of Mac from an early age, from working around the family farm and delivering fuel to farmers as a boy to tackling the practical problems involved in moving houses as an adult.

 

The Kind of Man Mac Was

Mac was a man of strong convictions.

He was decisive, principled, and seldom reluctant to take charge. He had definite ideas about right and wrong, and when he believed something was wrong, he wasn't afraid to say so. Mac could be tough, and he could be hard to persuade when he believed he was right. He wasn't easily intimidated and was quite prepared to go toe to toe with someone over a matter he considered important.

But there was another side to that toughness.

Mac was generous, especially when he saw someone in need. His principles weren't merely things he talked about. They affected the choices he made and the way he treated people.

And for a man who could be very serious about serious things, Mac had plenty of mischief in him.

He was ornery, and he liked to tease. Sometimes you couldn't be entirely sure whether Mac was teasing you or was completely serious. Usually, before too long, you found out.

He also liked to dance.

Mac claimed that he had been shy when he was young. Those who knew the confident, outspoken man he became might have found that a little hard to imagine.

Taken together, those qualities made Mac unmistakably Mac: tough and generous, serious about his principles but not always serious in conversation, resourceful, hardworking, courageous, and very much his own man.

 

Mac and Nancy's Family

Along the way, Mac and Nancy raised six children: Bernie, Dinah, Samuel, Nathan, Andrew, and Jabez. Nathan preceded his father in death.

Mac is also survived by his brother Lee Bain and Lee's wife, Harriett, and their family. Mac's brother J B Bain preceded him in death. J B's wife, Coleen, and their family also survive him.

Mac and Nancy's own family continued to grow, eventually encompassing children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and the spouses who became part of the family.

 

Bernie and Jolonda Bain

• Abel and Brandie Bain
• Caleb Bain
• Anna and Marvin Bouchard
  • Ava
  • Logan
• Gideon and Tia Bain
  • Olivia
• Cecelia and Matt Gomez
  • Rosi
  • Manny

Dinah and Michael Renno

Samuel and Kati Bain

• Clancy and Allie Bain

Nathan Bain (deceased)

Andrew and Teresa Bain

• Kyanna

Jabez and Emily Bain

• Henry
• Ella
• Calleye
• Ezra
• Jubilee

Share a Memory of Mac

The facts of a person's life can tell only so much of his story.

The people who knew Mac each knew a somewhat different part of him. Some knew him through his family. Others worked alongside him, worshipped with him, lived near him, or simply crossed paths with him at some point during his long life.

If you knew Mac, we would love for you to add to his story.

Please share a memory, a story he told, something he once did for you, something that made you laugh, or simply a few words about what you remember and appreciated about him. If you have photographs of Mac, we would be very glad to see and preserve those too.

Some of the memories most precious to our family may be ones we have never heard.

Whether you knew Mac for most of your life or only for a short time, thank you for remembering him with us.

The family is not accepting gifts or donations through this memorial. Your memories, photographs, and messages are more than enough.