Alan Brown Mackey, was born on May 29, 1962, in Memphis, TN, and died on February 3, 2025, at his home in Colorado Springs, CO.
He is survived by his wife, Kate; sons, Kevin and Brian; his father, Robert Mackey; siblings, John Daniel (wife Kim), Sharon Mackey, and Ben (wife Andrea). He also has eight nieces and eight nephews.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Dolores Brown Mackey.
He graduated from Corbin High School (KY) in 1980 and was appointed to the US Air Force Academy. He graduated from it in the Class of 1985. His last year at USAFA he sang in the Chorale and thoroughly enjoyed it. He then attended pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base (MS). He received his B-52 training at Castle AF Base (CA). He was assigned to Carswell AF Base in Fort Worth, TX, where he met his wife.
He served state-side duty during the Persian Gulf War. He separated from the Air Force as a captain after seven years and was hired by American Airlines, where he initially flew DC-10’s as a flight engineer. Furloughed from American, he went to work for American Eagle where he flew Saab 320B, ATR152/172, and then after being recalled to American flew 727’s as a 1st Officer, then going to international 757/767 assignments out of DFW.
His flying career was cut short in December, 2000, when he went blind following a serious bout with bacterial meningitis. When he awakened enough to understand his blindness, he commented, “Crap, the FAA won’t let you fly blind.” Exactly two weeks later his perspective changed and he observed that he got to fly for 15 years more than most people and he was grateful for that. He spent 12 months doing in/outpatient rehab. He learned to walk, identify objects, navigate with a white cane, grade 1 Braille, and relearning other life skills like cooking and cleaning. All his life Alan chose to rely on God to guide and sustain him each and every day, but that bond grew even stronger after the blindness. God provided him the energy and drive to push through learning almost everything again. His tenacious and somewhat stubborn spirit aided him.
He received his guide dogs from The Seeing Eye in Morristown, New Jersey. Over the 24 years of blindness he had Abbott, his first dog, followed by Beckham, Oliver, and Annie. They were trusted, loyal guides.
In 2005 and 2006, he and Kate took the boys out of school and traveled the world on his airline travel privileges. He especially enjoyed Kruger National Park, in South Africa, where he could hear many animal sounds and experience the smells of the park. They also attended Spanish language school in San Jose, Costa Rica, for five months where he co-mingled French with Spanish.
Alan loved to sing and after moving to Lone Tree, CO, he auditioned for ‘Sound of the Rockies’, an internationally ranked acapella men’s chorus in the Denver area. He sang bass with them for 17 years. Singing was a healthy outlet that challenged him to constantly learn new material; his performances are immortalized online still, including one as the dual-eyepatch donning, blind helmsman of a raucous and musical pirate crew (see YouTube — Sound of the Rockies Pirate Medley).
He hiked extensively in Smokey Mountain, Rocky Mountain, and Grand Canyon national parks, as well as up the 14’er — Quandry Peak, and countless other trails across Colorado.
He was a committed and devoted husband, always choosing to work hard at his communication skills; proud, steadfast, and enduring father; loyal, humble, and cherished son; and Kentucky Basketball fanatic. He enhanced each situation that he participated in – much like salt improves food.
A local memorial service will be held at Mackey Bend Cemetary near Barbourville, KY, at 10 am, Saturday, July 12, 2025. Call Ben Mackey at 606-545-8431, for directions.
Please make donations in lieu of flowers to one of these organizations:
The Seeing Eye – the organization from which Alan obtained all four of his guide dogs. https://seeingeye.org/?form=Website, 973-539-4425.
HadleyHelps.org – This organization teaches Braille to people all over the world, including Alan and countless others. They provide life living skills to people who are low vision and losing their vision slowly. https://hadleyhelps.org/donate/support-hadley, 1-800-323-4238.
The Barbershop Harmony Society – Alan sang with Sound of the Rockies, a member chorus of the BHS. The Society provides music education through camps and retreats. An endowed scholarship will be set up in Alan’s name.https://www.harmonyfoundation.org/hu-ot-donation, 615-571-2776.
