Louis C.J. McCall, certified public accountant, school board president, and volunteer firefighter, has died at 64
He was a whiz at numbers and financial issues, but community service was his specialty. “Lou was in every way the definition of the word dedication,” colleagues said.
Louis C.J. McCall, 64, of Wenonah, certified public accountant, president of the Wenonah School District Board of Education, longtime Wenonah and Surf City volunteer firefighter, and emergency medical services instructor, died Monday, Jan. 22, at Cooper University Hospital of head injuries suffered in a fall.
A graduate of Bishop Eustace High School and St. Joseph’s University, and a lifelong community servant, Mr. McCall was known by practically everyone in the tight-knit neighborhoods of Wenonah and Surf City. He not only joined local organizations, he took ownership of their success and assumed leadership roles as president, chairman, chief, and coach.
Friends, and there were countless, called him their “guiding light” and “voice of reason,” and shared hundreds of memories on Facebook about his kindness and dedication. “Your love for your communities and family inspire us to be better,” a friend said in an online tribute.
Mr. McCall worked most recently as a public assistance specialist at Continuity Operations Group in New Jersey and earlier in financial services management with Ernst & Young, Camden County, Advanta, KPMG, and other organizations. He also used his accounting and financial expertise as a volunteer with the Visiting Nurse Association of Southern New Jersey, Washington Township Ambulance and Rescue Association, and Surf City Fireman’s Relief Association.
He was elected to the Wenonah Board of Education in 2011 and president for the last eight years. An expert on emergency management, he was an emergency medical technician, instructor at EMS training programs, and a graduate school teacher at Chestnut Hill College.
He joined the Surf City Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 and Emergency Medical Services in 2005, and served as trustee, deputy coordinator of emergency management, and assistant fire chief. He rescued stranded residents during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, manned heavy hoses during devastating fires, and secured funding over the years to improve the company’s equipment.
Firefighting colleagues in Surf City flew the flag at half mast in front of Station 49 over the last two weeks and noted Mr. McCall’s “integrity, humor, and commitment” in an online tribute. “We won’t forget you,” they said.
He was also past president of the Wenonah Historical Society and Wenonah Lions Club, and onetime vice chair of the Wenonah Planning and Zoning Board. He coached softball and basketball in the Wenonah Athletic Association, and a friend said: “Lou always had a twinkle in his eye and a laugh that was as infectious as his smile.”
Louis Charles John McCall was born Sept. 22, 1959, in Irvington, N.J. He moved to Voorhees, graduated from Bishop Eustace in 1977, earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting at St. Joseph’s in 1981, and lived at first in Cherry Hill.
A brief first marriage was annulled, and he met Vicki Braun at a local CPA review class. “He walked into the room,” she said, “and I thought, ‘Hmm, that’s the guy.’ We just clicked.”
They sat next to each other that day, married in 1986, and had daughters Heather and Christina, and sons Louis II, Sean, and Ryan. They lived in Washington Township and Wenonah, and bought a second home in Surf City.
Their house in Wenonah required extensive renovations in the early 1990s, and The Inquirer wrote a story in 1995 about Mr. McCall’s considerable construction skills during the rebuild. “This is not an investment,” he said in the article. “We’ll never get back what we put in. But this is a special place.”
He also chipped in when neighbors had projects and was known to pull his car over and hop out when he spotted someone in need. He volunteered as a conductor on the Santa Express on the Cape May Seashore Lines and delighted in showing his own intricate model train display to anyone who asked about it.
He liked to bike and kayak, and family vacations in Surf City and Summerland Key, Fla., were his favorite getaways. He doted on his children and seven grandchildren, and always had a camera in hand to record family celebrations and milestones.
He listened to Bruce Springsteen and country music, and waved to neighbors from his Mustang convertible in local parades. He walked his dogs, Duke and Ruby, every day.
“He loved his family and extended that love in every direction,” his son Sean said. Mr. McCall’s wife said: “He was the rock and glue, and the grounding element of our family. He was truly a good soul.”
In addition to his wife, children, and grandchildren, Mr. McCall is survived by his mother, Joan, two brothers, and other relatives.
Services were held Jan. 28 and 29.
Donations in his name may be made to the Surf City Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 and EMS, 713 Long Beach Blvd., Surf City, N.J. 08008.