Ave Maria Living Magazine | Issue # 2 | October 2016

M eet the M cQuades!
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If you drive through Coquina and spot a house with
a single-car garage and ten bicycles in the
driveway, you know you have found the McQuades.
If you venture inside on a typical day, you will find
seven McQuade children scattered throughout the
home playing, reading, or working on their
homeschool lessons. Among them, two young men
from Immokalee homeschool as well.
Another son, Hadyn McQuade, passes through
between classes at Ave Maria University to give a
violin lesson. Two more adult children pop in on
occasion when they take a hiatus from their work
or study to come visit.
If you're really lucky, there may be a litter of
Goldendoodle puppies to play with! The McQuades
breed their family dogs and care for the puppies
until they are ready to be sent to loving homes.
The lifestyle of this family of 12 may seem a bit
overwhelming to some, but the McQuades wouldn?t
have it any other way. Their adventurous and
fun-loving journey began at Ole Miss where Mike
and Jenn McQuade met. The two fell in love and got
married.
The McQuades have moved 19 times as a family. In
the early years of their marriage, Mr. McQuade was
in the United States Air Force. He flew F-16s all over
the world. In fact, they were living in Korea when
their first child came into the world... 16 weeks early!
It was the Fourth of July weekend and the McQuades
were spending time with some military families at
the beach in Korea when Mrs. McQuade suddenly
became ill. She developed a very high fever and had
to be rushed to the hospital while her husband and
friends packed her body with ice. The hospital was
five hours away.
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