Malcolm David MacCallum, Jr.
July 3, 1938 - May 25, 2021
Malcolm David MacCallum, Jr., 82, passed away at St. Jude Medical Center, surrounded by his family, on the evening of May 25, 2021 in Fullerton, California after suffering through a series of medical complications for nearly a year.
David, as most people knew him, was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina on July 3, 1938 to Malcolm David McCallum and Mary Ida McLeod McCallum. He was raised in Southern Pines, NC, where he graduated from Southern Pines High School and relished his first employment opportunity running the film projector at the local theater. While earning his bachelor’s degree in Engineering from North Carolina State University, David enlisted in the Marine Corps and often regaled his daughters with stories of his Boot Camp experience.
Dreams of space exploration drove David to leave his beloved North Carolina and the comfort of so many friends and family to the sunny shores of Santa Monica, California. During his four decade aerospace career he continued his education by pursing a Master’s degree in Engineering at the California State University at Fullerton and worked on such illustrious projects as the Apollo 7, Apollo 11, B-1 Bomber and the Stealth Bomber.
He met his first wife, Marie Elaine Stephenson MacCallum, at a “Come As You Are” event for the College and Career Group of the First Presbyterian Church in Downey, where they were both members. David and Marie married in the church on October 1, 1966 and lived in Santa Fe Springs and Bellflower before moving into their Downey home in 1972. They had two daughters, Laura and Rhea, and were married for 39 years at the time of Marie’s passing.
David met his second wife, Sharon Lee Clegg Rose Drubin MacCallum, while bravely exploring the world of online dating. David and Sharon married on May 2, 2009 in the First Presbyterian Church in Fullerton, California. David and Sharon enjoyed many travel adventures to Canada, Scotland, Alaska and annual trips to North Carolina where they would catch up with his large extended family. David resided with Sharon in Fullerton, California until he passed.
The fraternal organizations of Freemasonry occupied much of David’s social calendar. He took pleasure in serving his community through these organizations and often served in leadership roles. He was Worshipful Master of Tyre Lodge in 1978 and then served several local lodges as an Inspector. He was a member of the Knights Templar and held the office of Worthy Patron three times with In Shallah Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star. He supported his daughter’s activities with the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls and Job’s Daughters and after they reached their majority he happily continued to support the Rainbow Girls by serving as an Advisory Board Member. More recently he served multiple years as the High Priest in Royal Arch. He felt honored to become a 33rd Degree Mason.
An avid reader, David revered Tom Clancy novels almost as much as his Bible. He married his passions for travel and education by spending several summers studying German at the University in Heidelberg, attending a handful of Clan McLeod Parliament conferences in Scotland and continuing to dream of kicking up moon dust or landing on the red planet. David’s love for music was expressed through his flute playing in college, attendance at numerous symphonic and opera house performances, as well as his singing in the church choir until esophageal cancer interfered with his abilities. He will be remembered for his biting humor, ability to fall asleep anywhere and his knowledge of all things historical. He drank gin martinis with his beyond well-done steak and Dos Equis with his fajitas and in his universe no BBQ could compare to North Carolina BBQ. He was verbose and wise but took as much delight in Benny Hill as he did in Masterpiece Theater.
The memorial services will be held on August 14 at the Christ Presbyterian Church in Lakewood at 5225 Hayter Ave. The Masonic and Eastern Star funeral services will be conducted in the patio area beginning at 10 AM with the religious service beginning at 11 AM in the sanctuary. Lunch will be served in the patio after the service in the church. An additional memorial service will be held in North Carolina on August 28 at the Old Bethesda Church in Aberdeen where David’s ashes will be interred in the family plot.
Above all else, David was a generous man. He tithed his entire life, enthusiastically and financially supporting several churches in California and North Carolina while also making notable donations to other organizations. To honor his spirit of generosity the family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the California Eastern Star Foundation, memo: J. Clifford Lee Cancer Fund, 16960 Bastanchury Road, Suite C, Yorba Linda, CA 92886-1171 or the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, 3201 Cross Timbers Rd., Bldg 4, Suite 300, Flower Mound, TX 75028 or the California Rainbow for Girls Foundation, Inc. – Scholarship Fund, 4745 N. Palm Avenue, Fresno, CA 93704-3002 or City of Hope, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010.
David is survived by his wife of 12 years, Sharon Lee MacCallum of Fullerton, CA; daughter Laura Dorleen MacCallum of Downey, CA; daughter Rhea Mary MacCallum of Downey, CA; stepson Craig Rose (Felicia Rose) of Mission Viejo; stepson Brent Drubin (Chau Huynh-Drubin) of West Covina and stepgrandson, Caden Rose of Mission Viejo.