Former Van Buren Township Fire Chief and VBT Director of Developmental Services David Cameron McInally, 77, died May 1 due to complications from COVID-19.
He had been residing in a nursing facility after suffering a debilitating stroke.
See full obituary on page 7 of the May 7 Belleville-Area Independent.
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Cameron was a very dear friend to my deceased husband, Steve. They met during employment at Van Buren Township. Steve was the water department director when Cam hired in as fire chief. Cameron, Steve and Mark had many liver and onion
dinners that they cooked together. Prior to the dinner they would shop at a local butcher and they took turns hosting the event at their homes. Cameron was usually the organizer. Cameron had a sense of humor unlike any other and I also considered him a very dear friend. After Cameron suffered his stroke Steve drove to visit him at the nursing facility on a regular basis. Steve kept in touch with 2 of Cam’s children Heather and David just to keep up with how he was doing. When Steve became too weak to drive, we went together to visit Cameron. We always arrived with Cameron’s favorite treat: a #2 from Jimmy Johns with a large pickle and of course don’t forget the chocolate chip cookie! Heather always brought Cameron a copy of the Belleville-Area Independent and we would read the paper during our visits and talk about old times. When our visit was over Steve would shake hands with Cam and I would kiss Cameron on the cheek and he would whisper “thank you for bringing Steve”. After Steve passed away, I continued to visit Cameron, calling ahead to remind him lunch was on the way. When I arrived in the room Cam always turned off the TV so we could do a crossword puzzle together, visit and talk. There was one visit in particular that was heart-warming: he was sleepy after his meal but he watched me color for two hours, every once in a while he’d say “color that yellow” or “that looks looks really pretty”. During those heart wrenching times of visiting Steve in hospitals and nursing homes, finding time for Cameron was difficult but somehow the fortitude comes when you need it the most. Cameron took it hard when Steve passed away and Heather attended Steve’s memorial service on behalf of Cameron so I showed her a picture on display of Steve and Cameron together. These two men were joined in friendship during life and now in death their memories will live on in my heart as long as I live. During my very last visit to Cam when I kissed him good-bye he said “thank you for bringing you”.