Ginger (Brekke Lund) MacCutcheon

Ginger MacCutcheon (aka Elsa Marie Brekke Lund), age 65 passed away on Sunday, April 14, 2024.   

Ginger MacCutcheon enlisted in the United States Army in 1976 and was an X-ray specialist and Medic. Multiple traumatic experiences led to her premature, yet honorable discharge in 1978. Ginger shared her testimony of triumph from these experiences openly, and used her voice to help others. In doing so, she provided hope and purpose, both for herself and her fellow Veterans.

In 2017, she joined the DAV as a member of Chapter 116 in Parma, Ohio. She was elected as a Chapter and Department Chaplain, respectively. She was also elected as the Chapter Commander. In 2023 she was elected as the 2nd Junior Vice Commander of the Department of Ohio.

Ginger was also active with AMVETS Post 176 serving as Chaplain and Trustee; AMVETS District 20 as Chaplain and Adjutant and with the Summit County Veterans Service Commission serving as Commissioner. She was also an officer with the Ohio Military Reserve and was a service dog trainer for Wags for Warriors.

Ginger joined the Veterans Advisory Council (VAC) at the VA Northeast Ohio healthcare system 4.5 years ago as a member. I always remember that she had such a wealth of knowledge about anything and everything to do with Veterans and veteran rights. She as so active in so many groups and programs and would drop what she was doing to take care of another veteran at a moment's notice.
Just over two years ago she volunteered for and became the Chair of the VAC.  We would meet once a month to prepare for the next VAC meeting and she always had new information to share with the members, guidance and advice. She travelled to Washington DC  to meet with Representatives from Congress, and Senators, she also went to so many local conferences and several around the State of Ohio - she was always advocating for her Veteran colleagues and especially female Veterans.

Ginger also submitted a "Spark" idea for a PTSD App. that was accepted, and she was in the process of working with our innovations team on moving it forward. We hope to continue her efforts.

Ginger also assisted every quarter with preparing the New Veteran Orientation packets that were mailed out to newly registered Veterans - another huge task which she did with love and care. 
In EPES she assisted  with several workshops such as Unit Practice Council implementation classes and Nurse Manager retreats. She attended the Vet Chat monthly which was for Veterans who work at the VA to share  relevant information with their fellow Veterans and helped with taking minutes. She assisted with Table events to promote their service, the Veteran College Fair for which she gathered many college contacts and solicited their involvement, she also volunteered at this event at the Zoo. 

Ginger was an amazing lady. We will miss her smile and her humble manner, her sharing pictures of her dogs, her family and the stories she shared about her experiences. She has such passion for caring for others, a true nurse. She always put her best foot forward and truly demonstrated how much she loved being able to do things that woud benefit others and especially her Veteran colleagues. She felt everyone else's pain and always tried to put her own pain aside. Even on her "bad" days, she came with a smile and an enthusiasm second to none.   She made a huge impact when she was there, to help make the work day easier, she was reliable, and meticulous in her work.

Ginger was a proud nurse earning her RN in 2013 and BSN in 2015 from Hondros College. May she rest in peace knowing how much she contributed to her Veterans and other in this world.

She is survived by her sister, Nancy Lund, Cousins, Alesia Gosnell, Raymond Martin, Joann Dudak, and Maryanne Dudak. She is also survived by her dear friends, whom she called "brothers", Thomas and Tony Ganley-Stillings, and their son Griffin. Ginger was preceded in death by her parents, John Brekke and Marion Lund (Christian).

A memorial gathering for Ginger will be held on Sunday, April 21, 2024, from 2:00pm to 6:00pm, at Nosek-McCreery Funeral Home, 8150 Brecksville Road, Brecksville, Ohio 44141, where the DAV will hold a memorial presentation at 4:00pm. 

Memorial donations in Ginger's name are suggested to Save a Warrior at https://saveawarrior.org/ or DAV at https://www.dav.org or AMVETS at https://www.amvets.org or to any other organization that serves veterans or helps animals in need.
 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ginger (Brekke Lund) MacCutcheon, please visit our floral store.