Everett B Gee Jr

Everett B. Gee, Jr., 92, passed away on June 6, 2025, in Ocala, Florida, surrounded by his loving family. Born on September 3, 1932, in Memphis, Tennessee, E.B. was the only child of Everett B. and Johnnie T. Gee. He grew up in Blytheville, Arkansas, where he graduated from Blytheville High School before attending the University of Arkansas. While at the university, he was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and served as its president for one semester. On March 6, 1955, E.B. married Rosemary Monaghan. Shortly thereafter, he entered the U.S. Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant and served at Scott Field in Illinois. E.B. and Rosemary, known affectionately as Rosie, celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary in 2018. She preceded him in death, along with their daughter Gail Gee and son Greg Gee, grandson Barker Gee, all of whom passed away as young adults, and his parents, Everett and Johnnie Gee. E.B. is survived by his son, E.B. Gee III (Suzanne), daughter, Ginger Gee; granddaughters, Rosemary Pease and Rebecca Morales, grandsons, Everett Gee IV, Greg Gee Jr., and Dustin Gee; and ten great-grandchildren. After returning from military service in 1957, E.B. joined the family agricultural business, E.B. Gee Cotton Company, which later became E.B. Gee Cotton and Grain Company. The business expanded to include grain elevators and farmland in Southeast Missouri and developed an extensive seed operation producing and marketing soybean and wheat seed in 14 states and Mexico. Among the family's agricultural ventures was a herd of registered Polled Hereford cattle. The Gee Ranches sold seedstock across the Eastern U.S., and E.B. served as a director of the American Polled Hereford Association from 1974 to 1979, including terms as Vice Chairman (1977) and Chairman of the Board (1978). He and Rosie made promotional trips on behalf of the association to South America and England. Another notable venture was the family's American Quarter Horse breeding operation. They raised many champions Quarter Horses, winning national, regional, and local titles. Their daughter Gail was particularly involved, earning the Youth National Championship among other honors. E.B. dedicated much of his life to public service, particularly in flood control and drainage in Southeast Missouri. He served for 29 years on the Board of Supervisors of the Little River Drainage District, including ten years as President (1987–1997). He also led the St. Johns Bayou Basin Drainage District and served on the Boards of the Elk Chute Drainage District and the Mississippi Valley Flood Control Association. In recognition of his significant contributions, he was awarded the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal by Lieutenant General Joe N. Ballard, Commanding General and Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Outside of his professional and civic responsibilities, E.B.'s greatest passion was golf. He grew up living behind the Blytheville Country Club and took to the game early, eventually becoming a high school champion and a member of the University of Arkansas golf team. Over the years, he won numerous amateur titles, competed in PGA Tour events as an amateur and remained active in senior amateur competitions. He qualified for the U.S. Senior Amateur National Championship six times, making match play three times, and won the Desert Classic in Palm Desert, California, three consecutive years. One of his proudest achievements was being Club Champion in six different decades. E.B. gave back to the sport he loved by serving as a U.S. Golf Association committeeman on the Senior Amateur Championship Committee for 21 years. He organized Arkansas qualifiers for the national championship for 19 years. He also served as President of the Arkansas State Golf Association in both 1964 and 1987. In 2007, he was inducted into the Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame. A lifelong Presbyterian, E.B. was active in the churches he attended in both Blytheville and Ocala. He served as an Elder, participated in long-range planning efforts, and served on a pastor search committee at the First Presbyterian Church of Ocala. In later years, E.B. became a successful real estate broker, focusing on farm properties in the Ocala area. A memorial service celebrating E.B.'s life will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Ocala, Florida, on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. On July 23, 2025, at 9:30 a.m., E.B. and Rosemary's remains will be interred in the family plot at Elmwood Cemetery in Blytheville, Arkansas. A memorial service for Mr. E.B. Gee, Jr. will follow at First Presbyterian Church of Blytheville at 10:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to: First Presbyterian Church of Ocala, Florida First Presbyterian Church of Blytheville, Arkansas St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee