Charles Henry McGee

WAXHAW -- Mr. Charles Henry McGee, age 62, passed away April 17, 2002 (Wednesday) at a local area hospital.
Mr. McGee was born October 2, 1939 in Forsyth County, NC, a son of the late Mr. Henry Samuel McGee and the late Mrs. Bonnie Pearl Carriker McGee. He was also preceded in death by a brother, Steven Lane McGee in 1953. Mr. McGee had lived in Waxhaw for 39 years.
Survivors include his wife, Mrs. Patsy G. McGee of the home; (two) daughters, Ms. Gloria Jane McGee Hope of Waxhaw, and Mrs. Gay Gamble McGee Diller and son-in-law, Brett Russell Diller, of Waxhaw; (four) grandchildren, Patricia Lynn Hope, Katherine McGee Hope, Charles Russell Diller and Brett Henry Diller, all of Waxhaw; (two) brothers, Mr. Jim McGee of Mint Hill, NC and Mr. Richard McGee of Charlotte, NC; (three) sisters, Mrs. Katherine M. Cox and Mrs. Sarah M. Morgan, both of Monroe, and Mrs. Bonnie M. Huntley of Mint HIll, NC.
The family will receive friends and relatives for visitation Saturday afternoon (April 20, 2002) from 4:00 PM until 6:00 PM at his home in Waxhaw.
Funeral services will be Sunday afternoon (April 21, 2002) at 4:00 PM in the Pleasant Grove Campground Arbor at Mineral Springs, NC, conducted by the Reverend Dr. James G. Mackey, pastor of Waxhaw United Methodist Church. Burial will follow in the Waxhaw City Cemetery in Waxhaw, NC.
The family has suggested that memorials may be made to the Waxhaw United Methodist Church, PO Box #9, Waxhaw, NC 28173.
There are almost as many facets to Charles Henry McGee as there are adjectives to describe him. He was a successful businessman, a civic and church leader, a citizen who took his politics and his country seriously, and a man who loved his farm. Most of all, he was a husband, father, brother and friend. There probably is not a space in Union County that could hold all the people who love and respect Charles McGee, and want to pay tribute to him. That is one reason why his family chose the historic Arbor at Pleasant Grove Campground as the place for his funeral. The other reason is that Pleasant Grove is a place Charles loved and watched over, as he loved and watched over his community, his church and his family.
Family and friends have gathered around Charles' wife Patricia Niven Gamble McGee - Patsy as she is known far and wide - and his daughters Gloria and Gay and their children. Every person has shared a piece of the panorama of Charles' remarkable life. When Charles and Patsy McGee married 39 years ago, two very large families merged. Relatives and friends have traded stories about Charles' wit, his generosity, his humility and his boundless zest for life. As one cousin remarked, "Charles was one of the most fully alive persons I've ever known."
With his father and his brother, Henry and Richard McGee, Charles founded McGee Corporation in 1961. The company manufactures canopies for the gasoline industry. After Henry McGee died in 1974, Charles and his brother Richard ran the business as partners. "Charles deserves so much credit for the success of the McGee Corporation," Richard McGee reflected, citing his brother's gift for customer relations, marketing and design. "He was my brother and my business partner," Richard said, "and the best friend I've ever had."
Several years ago, Charles McGee sold his interest in McGee Corporation so that he could slow down and spend more time with his family. "He was a Pied Piper with children," one family member commented. "His grandchildren and all the surrogate grandchildren who flocked to the farm loved nothing better than exploring the woods and the meadows with Charles. It was an adventure and an education, and so much fun for children of all ages."
Charles McGee also loved spending time with his sisters and brothers and their children. With his sisters Katherine Cox and Sara Morgan of Monroe and Bonnie Huntley of Mint Hill, he planned day trips to places of interest. He and brother Jim McGee exchanged books to read. Charles' cousins Penelope and Jennifer Niven, both writers, spoke of his constant encouragement. His cousin Lynn Clark recalled that when her grandson Nathaniel was asked where he wanted to go on vacation, he immediately replied "To Charles and Patsy's house." The McGees opened their home and their farm to hundreds of relatives and friends.
Charles McGee was a leader in the creation of the Andrew Jackson Memorial and Museum of the Waxhaws, and its founding president; a supporter of political causes he believed in; a mainstay of the Waxhaw Methodist Church; an active member of the Petroleum Marketing Association; a widely admired businessman. He loved the out-of-doors, from his Union County farm to the Carolina coast to the desert Southwest. He was known and loved for his sense of humor, his western hats, his love of fishing, his capacity for friendship, his appreciation for books and art, his ability to recite all the parts in the play and film "Driving Miss Daisy," his keen intelligence, his thoughtful understanding of the human condition, and his love for this family -- his own family, and the great human family.
McEwen Funeral Home of Monroe is serving the family of Mr. McGee.