by Frances Dyer
for Altadenablog
Born Eleanor Cumi Burckett in 1918 in Harrisonville, Missouri, Cue MacKenzie died May 5th, 2011. Cue was the first child of Daisy and Howard Burckett, followed by three sisters and one brother, and later on by two half-sisters.
In 1943 she married Steve Vogliano in Missouri, and then moved to San Gabriel, California, where Steve died in 1953.
Cue married Paul MacKenzie in 1954 and shortly after they moved to Altadena where they both resided until their deaths.
Cue adopted Paul's son Douglas at age 8. Douglas and his wife Gloria have one daughter, Nicole, who has made Cue a great-grand-mother to Nicole's daughter Mailee, for which she is very proud.
After moving to Altadena, Cue and Paul became active in the community and because of their love of horses. Cue was the leader of the Junior Rose Bowl Riders Club for some years, and she and Paul also rode their horses in the Pasadena Rose Parade many times. Paul, until his death in 2002, was the captain of the Altadena Sheriff's Posse, a mountain rescue unit, when horses were often used for rescues.
Among Cue’s community activities were:
- Chairman of the Election Board in her precinct.
- Living across the street from Loma Alta Park on Lincoln Avenue, she became active with park activities and also in developing the park as it is today.
- She was also a member of the Altadena Town Council, having been voted in by her precinct, and was elected President for one year.
- At the time of her death she was a member of The Baptist Church, having joined in her childhood in Missouri, and more recently as a member of the Altadena Baptist Church;
- also the Altadena/Crown City Kiwanis Club where she served as Treasurer until the age of 91,
- the Altadena Sheriff's Support Group, where she served as President, and on two boards at the Altadena Senior Center.
- As a member of the Altadena Chamber of Commerce she was appointed “Citizen of the Year’ and was featured at their annual dinner in January, 1994.
Cue will be sorely missed by many nieces and nephews and by many friends she has made over the years.
She will be buried alongside her husband Paul, in Forest Lawn, Glendale.
Recognition of her life will be held on Friday, May 20th 2011 at 1:00 PM with Rev. George Van Alstine officiating, at the Altadena Baptist Church, 791 East Calaveras Street, Altadena, CA 91001.
