Dr. Richard Lucas Mccann

Chapel Hill, NC -- Richard Lucas McCann, age 72, died on February 5, 2021. He was born in Portland, Maine to Marcelle Lucas McCann and Richard Edman McCann. He grew up in Yarmouth, Maine and graduated from Yarmouth High School in 1966. As a youth, he played several sports and especially enjoyed skiing and also sailing in Casco Bay with his family.

He attended Middlebury College, where he met Margaret (Meg) Floyd, who would become his wife. They both graduated in 1970 and the next year were married in Ocean Park, Maine. After his graduation from Cornell University Medical College, Richard and Meg moved to Durham for him to begin his surgical residency at Duke University Medical Center. He then was a vascular surgeon at Duke Health and the Durham VA Medical Center for the duration of his career. He and Meg also volunteered at Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in rural Haiti several times. According to Duke Surgery, “As a man of few words, he made every spoken word important. Duke Surgery, thousands of patients and hundreds of surgical trainees have benefitted from Dr. McCann’s tireless efforts and surgical excellence.”

His favorite place to be was his family’s cabin on Hoyt’s Island in Great Pond – on the same Maine lake where he had attended Camp Bomazeen as a Boy Scout. Flying his Cirrus plane to Maine or to visit his children and grandchildren was among his greatest joys.

He survived a heart attack in 1997 and from then on was a dedicated runner, not because he enjoyed it but because he wanted to keep living. He ran numerous marathons, including the Boston Marathon several times.

Richard is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Margaret (Meg) Floyd McCann; his daughter, Jennifer McCann (Megary Sigler) of Baltimore, Maryland and his son Joshua McCann (Alexis) of Daytona Beach, Florida; and his grandchildren Finian Sigler-McCann and Eleanor Sigler-McCann. He is also survived by brothers Timothy McCann (Eva) of Otterbach, Germany and David McCann of Vista, California and sister Mary McCann-Baker (Kenneth) of Norridgewock, Maine; stepmother Verna McCann of Melbourne, Florida; aunt Ann McCann Spaulding of West Melbourne, Florida; brother-in-law John Floyd (Kathleen) of Burlington, VT; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents.

A celebration of life will be held later when it is again safe to gather. Anyone wishing to honor his memory may do so by donating to Hôpital Albert Schweitzer https://hashaiti.org Click here.(PO Box 110091, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232).