Max McCaig Obituary

MAX MCCAIG Max B. McCaig, 89, of Chico, CA, quietly passed from life in the early morning hours of March 16, 2024, at Enloe Hospital due to complications relating to kidney failure. He lived a good life and will be missed by his family and many friends and associates. He was born to Samuel and Edith McCaig on New Year’s Day in 1935 in Brady, Nebraska. He was the tenth of eleven children born to clan McCaig. He enlisted in the Navy and after basic training was stationed at Adak, Alaska and later in Port Hueneme, CA where he trained as a mechanic, unknowingly learning and practicing his future trade. After his discharge, having seen some of the world, life on the Nebraska farm held little appeal, and with his older brother Dick he shifted into another gear and moved west, eventually parking in the quiet community of Chico. In this new and growing community, Max found a place where his natural mechanical ability and good nature synched with the community. He formed his auto repair shop, Transamatic, in about 1960, and specialized in the repair, service, and rebuilding of transmissions of all varieties and nearly every make and model. In addition to this new business venture, he met and married Janice Roberts in 1963, and they were blessed with twin daughters, Heather, and Holly. Max worked hard during these years but also enjoyed his hobbies, including stock car racing, sport fishing, and receiving his pilot license. Max and Janice celebrated 51 years together prior to her passing in 2014, and after her death he downshifted, sold the transmission business in 2017, and began a much-deserved life of retirement. He is survived by his two daughters, Heather McCaig and Holly Bilski; a granddaughter Janice Larsen; and his sister June. Max was a Freemason and member of the Chico-Leland Stanford Masonic Lodge no. 111. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 6th, 2024, at Newton-Bracewell Funeral Home, 680 Camellia Way in Chico, CA. To view the obituary online and leave condolences for the family, please go to www.NewtonBracewell.com.