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Remembering
Hector “Sandy” McClune
Millerton Volunteer Fire Department — New York
Classification: Volunteer
Rank: Firefighter
Date of Death: November 26, 2006
Age: 76
I t is no coincidence that the word “extraordinary”
contains within itself the
word “ordinary” when remembering
“Sandy” McClune. Sandy was
an ordinary man in the scheme
of the world, but extraordinary
in the eyes of his family,
friends, fellow firefighters,
and the small community
of Millerton, NY.
“Sandy” was born Hector
Alexander McClune
on July 1st, 1930, in
Scotland. In 1951, he
married Agnes “Nan”
McClune. They immigrated
together to
Canada before moving to
the United States, settling
in Millerton in 1964. They
had three children named
Sheila, Bonnie and James.
Sandy was a family man who
enjoyed spending time with
his grandchildren. His youngest
grandson, Jarrett, shared an especially
close bond with Sandy. As a toddler,
he copied the way his “Poppy” walked
and talked. They enjoyed mowing the lawn together
with Sandy’s tractors.
Sandy’s hobbies were extensive and included “tinkering”
with and repairing old tractors and vehicles,
ice fishing, hunting and spending hours on
his Farmall tractor to plow his driveway in the
winter. He was an avid outdoorsman and loved
to work with his friends on the farm. Sandy was
well-known in his community. He was a volunteer
firefighter with the Millerton Fire Department for
40 years and served as Second Lieutenant
for some time. He was Superintendent
of Highways for the town of North
East and finished his employment
years at the Salisbury School in
Salisbury, Connecticut. His
fellow firefighters remember
him as a fatherly figure who
was an active, efficient and
dedicated firefighter even
in his last years with the
department. He loved
being a fireman and went
to countless fires. He did
whatever he could to
help. His membership
to the MFD gave him a
sense of belonging, even
until the day he laid down
his life for the wellbeing of
his community.
Whether you ask Sandy’s
family, friends or fellow firefighters
to describe him, you’re
likely to get the same response:
“Sandy was a joker and a prankster.”
He was always ready to make people
laugh, and we really miss the sound of his
laughter and his thick Scottish brogue. On the day
of his funeral, when we all thought Sandy’s pranks
were gone forever; he had the last laugh. One of the
Millerton Fire Department’s trucks got stuck in the
mud in the cemetery, and everyone just knew it had
to be Sandy’s doing.
Sandy answered his last call to duty in the early
afternoon of November 26th, 2006. There was a
small grass fire in the schoolyard behind his home.
He suffered a heart attack and died at the scene
doing what he had loved for so many years: serving
and protecting his community.