Mary McKee
Aug. 16, 1932- Feb. 10, 2020
Niles Daily Star, Published 9:16 am Thursday, February 13, 2020
Mary Cary McKee, 87, wife, mother and grandmother died peacefully at 8:35 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 10, 2020, with her daughters at her side at Emmet County Medical Care Facility in Harbor Shores, Michigan following an extended illness.
She was born on Aug. 16, 1932, in Niles, to Jack F. and Carribel (Schmidt) Young. She was graduated from Niles High School and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. She was employed as a teacher in the Niles Community Schools for a few years before moving with her family to Flint, Michigan. Following the retirement of her husband, they moved to Harbor Springs, Michigan, where he built a new house and lived the rest of their lives.
Mary had been raised in the Episcopal Church, had been active in the Episcopal Church Women (ECW), and continued in that faith throughout her life. When her children were in school, she continued her interest in education by participating the local Parent Teacher Association (PTA). She also enjoyed reading and loved flowers. She suffered a medical crisis that created challenges in her daily routine, but she persevered to provide a home for her family.
On Jan. 21, 1956, she married Claire McKee, Jr. who died — sadly — on Jan. 21, 2015, the remarkable 59th anniversary of their wedding. She was also preceded in death by her parents and by her brothers, John F. “Jack”Young on Feb. 27, 2018, and Frederick G. Young on Sept. 13, 2017.
Surviving family includes her children, Cary Graham and Mary Conley, both of Franklin, Tennessee, and Heath (Diane) McKee of Annandale, Virginia; grandchildren Claire Conley, Matthew (Ashley) Graham, Ashlie (Matthew) West, Lydia McKee, and Daniel McKee; great-grandchildren Malory West, Elliott West and Rylie Graham; Mary’s sisters-in-law Judy (Mrs. Jack Young) and Suzanne McKee; and several nieces and nephews.
The funeral service for Mary McKee will be at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020, at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, 615 E. Main St. in Niles with The Reverend James Slack, retired officiating. Committal will follow at the Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles. Online condolences may be left at: halbritterwickens.com.
Mary was a woman of faith and family who nurtured those blessings in a manner that will now continue as a testimony to a life well-lived.