Our dearly beloved brother, uncle, and friend, Charles Ratcliffe McKay, departed from this world on a rainy afternoon, March 21, 2018, at the Antelope Valley Hospital, the very place he was born 58 years ago. He was the seventh of eight children in the family of Jack and Shirley Mckay, who had migrated from Virginia in 1951 after his military career to pursue exciting new opportunities in aviation. Father’s work as a NASA test-pilot earned him astronaut wings; mother’s mid-life career involved making tiles for the Space Shuttle. It was growing up against this back drop of the “race to space”, of flying ever higher and faster, that Charlie developed a fondness for that which was close to the earth and nurturing to the soul. He spent most of his childhood on 2 ½ acres in the country where he developed a deep love of animals, at one time even having a pet chicken who would run to meet him at the bus stop as he returned home from school. Family picnics in the surrounding hills, camping trips to the Sierras, excursions into the desert and riding his bicycle around town fed his love of nature, and were cherished activities that he continued in his adult years. As a boy Charlie spent many hours in the kitchen cooking with his father, a pastime that grew into a passion and then a vocation. After graduating from Quartz Hill High school and attending Antelope Valley College, he worked for many years at the Desert Inn Restaurant and also at the Golden Corral Restaurant where he gained a reputation as a hard worker, an expert bbquer, a well-loved employee. Above all, Charlie was a kind, generous and loyal friend who maintained life-long relationships and who loved nothing better than to cook you his latest favorite recipe. He is survived by his sisters: Sheri (Greg) Lowe, Joanne (Charlie) Goodman, and Susan (Terry) Bishop and brothers: Jim (Nanette), John (Sheryl), Milton (Kathy), and Mark. He also leaves numerous nieces and nephews and his beloved cat Nala.~McKay Family