Fallbrook resident had successful engineering career

By: EDWARD SIFUENTES - Staff Writer | Friday, June 15, 2007 7:06 PM PDT ∞

FALLBROOK ---- Clifford "Skip" McConville Jr. had a knack for mathematics and for tinkering with machines. It led to a successful career in electronic engineering.

Growing up in a small farm town in Idaho, McConville liked to take the family car apart and put it back together in a few days, said Cliff McConville, his son.

"He was always fascinated with taking things apart," he said. "He was just interested in how things worked."

Skip McConville of Fallbrook died June 11. He was 69. He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Deanna; five children; and five grandchildren.

The father of five children put his engineering and mathematical talents to work in General Electric's electronic division and in starting two businesses. His son said he was impressed when going through his father's old records, including school report cards showing high marks in math classes.

Skip McConville earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Idaho, where he was president of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. He was just months away from earning a doctorate degree before he left General Electric to start his first business, Computer Consultants, Inc., in Chicago, his son said.

Cliff McConville said his father worked developing early automatic teller machines and other banking computer systems that are now commonplace.

After selling the business in 1970, Skip McConville joined Cummins-Chicago Corp., makers of bank business machines, as vice president of the data systems division. Seventeen years later, he started another businesses, American Financial Services, in partnership with his wife, Deanna.

"We were both involved in computers before most people knew what computers were," she said.

In 1993, a stroke forced Skip McConville into semiretirement, his son said. He continued to oversee the family's investments and rental properties.

Cliff McConville said his parents moved to Fallbrook in part because they felt the warm weather would help his health.

His wife remembered him as an intelligent and kind man.

"He was very smart, but very down to earth," she said. "I considered him a genius in a lot of ways, but he was never condescending to anyone."

A memorial will be held at Berry Bell and Hall Mortuary on Monday at noon. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making a donation to the Arthritis Foundation at www.arthritis.org.

Contact staff writer Edward Sifuentes at (760) 740-3511 or esifuentes@nctimes.com.