William E. 'Bill' McKee
William Erwin McKee, 87, of Polson passed away peacefully Saturday, May 5, 2007, in Helena after a courageous battle with metastatic prostate cancer.
He was born Sept. 10, 1919, in a homestead shack on Charlie Creek near Andes, in Richland County. His parents were Harry O. McKee and Mona Holt McKee.
After completing the eighth grade in a one-room country school, Bill began working to help support his parents and four sisters. He worked on the construction of the Fort Peck dam and began his career with Buttrey Foods in Cut Bank as a potato bagger.
On Dec. 8, 1941, Bill joined the United States Coast Guard and was deployed to the Pacific Theater during World War II. Bill received an honorable discharge as a boatswain's mate, second class, on July 19, 1946.
Bill met Eleanor S. Jennings from Glasgow, who also was serving in the military as a WAVE, and they were married March 1, 1944. After the war, Bill and Eleanor returned to Cut Bank, where he resumed his 44-year career with Buttrey Foods. Bill was promoted to manager of the Fort Peck store in 1949 and managed stores in Conrad, Great Falls and Kalispell until his retirement in 1980.
After Eleanor's death in 1981, Bill met and married Avela Nelson in 1984. They spent the next 22 years celebrating weddings, graduations and accomplishments of their grandchildren, the births of great-grandchildren, and traveling to visit family and friends, including a cruise around the world.
Bill was an avid golfer and outdoorsman. He loved to hike in Glacier Park and skied at Big Mountain and other ski areas across the Northwest. In their later years, Bill and Avela spent their winters in Palm Desert and summers in Whitefish, until relocating to Polson in 2000. Avela passed away on Nov. 26, 2006.
"Papa Kee" loved his family and took great delight in entertaining the younger ones as they grew up. The kids always looked forward to driving or riding in his golf cart. There were no family events that were too far away for Bill and Avela to attend.
During his life, Bill was involved in church and civic activities with the Presbyterian Church, Lions Club, Masonic Lodge and Order of the Eastern Star, and served on the board of directors of the Whitefish Golf Club.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents; his two wives; and sisters, Olive Wildermuth, Jean Kline and Myrna Levitt.
Bill is survived by his sister, Melva Johnson, of Columbia Falls; son, Mike, and Jeanette McKee, of Hamilton; and daughter, Lynn McEachran, of Spokane; six grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 9, at the First Presbyterian Church in Whitefish. Inurnment of the ashes of both Bill and Avela will be held at Glacier Memorial Gardens in Kalispell immediately after the service.
The family requests that memorials be made to a charity of the donor's choice or local Hospice organization.