In Memory of Hugh McNamara
On Friday, August 16th, MSS lost one of the greats, Hugh McNamara. Hired in January 1979, Hugh was employee #2. He and his childhood friend, Tim Hughes, worked side-by-side with toolboxes in hand for the first decade of the company’s existence. Hughie was an incredibly hard worker, never stopping until the job got done. He was upbeat, energetic, funny, clever, resourceful, creative, knowledgeable, and skilled. And it was his involvement in that first year that Tim credits as the most significant factor that got him to believe in the potential of MSS (and to stick with it, even when there wasn’t enough work to keep them both busy).
But busy they became. As the business grew, it was necessary for Tim to focus on managing it from behind a desk, but Hugh remained a third party technician until 1992. It was then that he decided to transition to a Furniture Repair Expert and thus MSS Furniture Service was born. It turns out Hugh was also incredibly skilled at fixing things, from wood or porcelain to marble tops and paintings. The furniture division grew and went on to employ as many as 25 people and last for 21 years.
There was no one like Hughie. We are immensely grateful that we had the opportunity to honor Hugh at last year’s MSS National Conference, where he was recognized for his outstanding achievements by announcing the renaming of our Local Technician of the Year Award in his honor. It was only fitting, as he would have likely won this award each year had it been around during his days on the road with us.
Our hearts are with his beloved wife, Barbara, and his children and grandchildren. For his obituary and more information on funeral services: https://www.jacobfruth.com/obituaries/hugh-mcnamara. Rest in peace, Hughie.
