In late 1992 the Macktal family decided to relocate from Orange County and raise their young family in Avalon. Having visited the island multiple times as a young married couple in their own boat, it seemed an ideal place for their young children to grow up.
John and Doreen raised their children in a home on Eucalyptus and the children, Teresa and Nathan, attended Avalon School. Thirty-two years later, the family is moving on, relocating to the Pacific Northwest, where the children, now grown are starting their lives. Leaving Catalina is bittersweet as the family loved the life they had here on the island.
“We couldn’t have made a better choice. Our son and daughter attended Avalon School which back then was a truly distinguished school. The teachers lived here, saw their students everywhere and were vested in the community. The student body was of different races, religions and backgrounds but was united. They embraced the things that made them the same and accepted and understood the things that made them different,” John Macktal said.
When they moved to Avalon, John took possession of a golf cart repair business and Doreen was hired as an RN at then Avalon Municipal Hospital. As they begin their retirement the business is being transferred to Joksan Hernandez and his nephew Angel. Jokson is a skilled mechanic having worked in his dad’s auto garage for several years.
He has aligned himself with two Orange County dealers, Mars Cars in Huntington Beach and Orange County Monster Cars in Fountain Valley. He will be the exclusive source for parts, service, repair and warranty work for people who chose to buy either an EZ Go or Club Car from those people.
John and Doreen will be relocating to the state of Washington. After obtaining her master’s degree, their daughter Teresa moved to Tacoma and is employed by the greater Seattle YMCA as a licensed therapist/counselor. The YMCA contracts with the state to provide almost all mental health services in Seattle, King County and the surrounding area. Teresa graduated from AHS in 2007.
Their son Nathan recently purchased a former Coast Guard substation that had been converted into a four-bedroom house and two apartments in the Washington coastal town of Hoaquiem. Nathan is employed by Chevron as a gas engineer responsible for the maintenance and operation of equipment that allows Liquefied Natural Gas with the explosive potential of three Hiroshima size atomic bombs to be transported on a super tanker larger than the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. Nathan graduated from AHS in 2005.
“Doreen and I have literally spent half our lives in Avalon, meeting the people who have shaped who we have become. It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime, but the unforgettable moments will become memories, memories that will leave a handprint on our heart,” John said.
