Clay "Mack" Dunlap

 Clay McClure (Mack) Dunlap, 86, passed peacefully in his home on May 24, 2021.

 Mack was born in Laramie, Wyoming on June 14, 1934 to Margeret Florence Crews Dunlap and Carl Ernest Dunlap. He was the second child, following his sister Nancy Lee. They moved around often, farming, as his dad would buy and sale farms for a living. They ended up in what would be one of his favorite places to live, Harper, Oregon. He was eager to please his father, being by his side as a worker bee from the time he was seven years old. He worked so hard and ambitiously learned from his dad to the point that he was running ranches for him by the age of eleven. He was out digging ditches and making sure the irrigation worked, that same type of hard work ethic would become a core personality trait that he would carry with him for the rest of his life.

 Mack graduated from Harper Union High School in May of 1954. After graduation, he enlisted in the Army and served in Japan from 1954-1956. During this time, he stayed in touch with his family, especially his mother, writing her letters where he would send pictures and even signed one letter, “To My Sweet Mom, from your good-lookin’ son, Mack C. Dunlap.” He adored his mother and made sure to send gifts and money from Japan to show her and the rest of his family that he was thinking about them, even as he served his country from the other side of the world.

Mack moved to Emmett, ID after he was honorably discharged from the Army. He worked at Boise Cascade Lumber Mill and for his dad on one of his farms. One day, in 1957, Mack would go to the local hang out, The President Fountain, where he met the love of his life, Maggie Jean Jones. They were married on September 7, 1957. The two of them would start an adventurous love story: full of dancing, card games, laughter, and the hard work of milking cows, raising corn, and their three children: Pam, Ed, and Buzz.

 One of Mack’s favorite past times was roping. It was told that he loved it so much from a young age that he would even try to rope the chickens. He started team roping around 1964, where he would go up to Mitchell’s on the Butte. He would share this love of roping with his two sons, and especially had a strong relationship with Ed where they bonded over their fondness of horsemanship. Ed would describe his father, “as the best man he has ever known.” To Ed, he was “Superman.”

 Following Maggie’s passing in 1996, Mack retired from Boise Cascade after thirty-nine years. He spent his time irrigating and raising cattle at his sanctuary, “The Other Place.” He had a set routine where he went to breakfast every morning with his friends (the Good Ole’ Boys) at Cloverleaf, then Swing Scene, and lastly Tom’s Cabin.

 In 2009, he met Barbara Stipp, they would spend eight wonderful years together. He found pleasure in her company as they enjoyed traveling together, especially going out to eat with Nancy and Bill. Sometimes they would get lost, and he would say, “we’re not lost, we’re just misplaced.” When he would go to Albertson’s to buy bananas, he always made sure to give her three, because he knew how much she liked them. He was very fond of Debbie, Barb’s daughter, and enjoyed making the two of them laugh. He was always a true gentleman.

Mack is survived by his sister Nancy Jordan, his children Pam (David) Hodges and Ed Dunlap, grandchildren Jonathan (Jessel) Hodges, Jonathon Dunlap, Jade Smith, and Maggie (Josh) Mathews, and great grandchildren David and Ella Mathews. Mack was preceded in death by his parents, wife, infant daughter Teresa, and son Robert (Buzz) Dunlap.

 A special thank you to Mack’s caregivers, Dr. Twoemy, and Heart ‘N Home Hospice.

 Visitation will be held Thursday, June 3rd from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Potter Funeral Chapel.  Graveside Services with Military Honors will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, June 4, 2021 at the Emmett Cemetery.  Mack, Dad, Grnadpa; We know if you were any better, you would have a runaway!

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