Sidney Donald McCoy; Resident of Ventura County for 43 Years

Sidney Donald McCoy, a 25-year Ojai resident, died Aug. 18 after a brief illness. He was 90.

McCoy was born Sept. 23, 1907, in El Monte and had lived in Ventura County for the past 43 years. He was the original manager of the employee store at Hughes Aircraft in Culver City, where he worked for more than 20 years before he retired. Before working for Hughes, McCoy worked for MGM as a sound technician.

McCoy was an avid amateur radio operator and made friends around the world in his more than 50 years on the airwaves. McCoy operated his radio out of his garage and built a 50-foot tower at his cliff-side home near Lake Casitas.

“He had one of the highest signals here in Ojai,” McCoy’s son Donald said. “He’d talk all over the world.”

Don McCoy recalled the time in 1956, while serving in the Navy, that he talked to his father over the radio from Hong Kong.

“He just enjoyed that immensely. Every morning he was out there working that radio,” McCoy said.

McCoy is survived by his wife of 67 years, Dorothy; two sons, Mike of Chino and Don of Reseda; and six grandchildren.

Catholic services for McCoy were held Saturday at the Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home in Ventura; Msgr. Patrick O’Brien officiated. McCoy was buried in the family plot at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura.