Grady Whitman "Whit" Agee Jr.

1960 - 2023

Grady Whitman "Whit" Agee, Jr., 63 of Judsonia, Arkansas (formerly of Memphis) died unexpectedly in the hospital in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida while on a business trip on February 18, 2023, surrounded by his loving family.

Born in Memphis on January 22, 1960, to Grady and Betty Barlow Agee, Whit grew up in East Memphis where he honed his athletic skills playing various pick-up games in the Richland Elementary School neighborhood. He spent countless hours with his little brother, Mike, playing one on one basketball and pitching baseball where he would be a St. Louis Cardinal, his favorite team. Their dad taught them both a love of golf and together they many spent weekends at Colonial Country Club trying to master the North Course. This love of golf never left Whit, and it inspired him to play all over the country including on his honeymoon at Pebble Beach and while taking a pilgrimage to the Masters.

Whit attended Presbyterian Day School and later the Auburndale School where he excelled in cross country, basketball, baseball, and track. His mom never missed one of his athletic events, and his dad took numerous pictures as the unofficial school athletics photographer. At Auburndale, he won various accolades both athletic and otherwise including Male Athlete of the Year and Best All Around of his senior class. Whit remained very close to his fellow Auburndale classmates throughout his life. During his summers, he and his brother, Mike, would visit Counce, Tennessee where their maternal grandparents lived and explored, learned to garden, shoot a pellet gun, and enjoyed fishing on nearby Pickwick Lake. As a youth, he traveled with the family on vacations to England, France, the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, California and the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, New Zealand, and Fiji. He worked as a Day Camp Counselor for the East Memphis YMCA for several summers and later waited tables at Jim's Place East.

After high school, Whit attended Mississippi State University starting in the fall of 1978 and eventually became a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity following in the footsteps of his father who was a Kappa Sigma at UTK. His three-semester pledge ship is still a record and serves as an inspiration to those who want to wear the Star and Crescent. At one point, more than half the chapter could claim Whit as a pledge brother. Whit served as an IFC Representative. He thrived socially and played several intramural sports including flag football, basketball, and softball.

Whit graduated from MSU in 1983 and began his mortgage banking career starting out with Singleton Mortgage. Continuing his involvement with Kappa Sigma post-graduation, Whit served as an Alumnus Advisor for the University of Memphis chapter for nearly seven years. He worked over the years for several mortgage companies and banks, and at the time of his death, he was a branch manager and mortgage specialist for Trustmark Mortgage. Through the years he gained a reputation for hard work and integrity in residential mortgage. Everyone who knew Whit loved him. He very much enjoyed the social aspect of being a part of the Mortgage Bankers Association and counted the realtors of Memphis as some of his favorite people.

Whit was especially close to his children- Lindsey, Zach, and Kendall. He loved being a dad above everything. Whit coached several of their youth sports teams at Hope Church in both basketball and baseball. When not coaching, Whit officiated soccer games at Hope which he did for over a decade, at times with his son, Zach. As the children each graduated college they remained in Chattanooga, TN. Whit loved traveling to visit with them and they in turn traveled to Memphis and Arkansas to spend quality time with their dad. He was always available to his children and showed them love constantly. Each being unique, Whit had a special relationship with Lindsey, Zach, and Kendall. He deliberately sought to communicate frequently with each of his children in a meaningful way.

In 2012, Whit and several former Auburndale baseball players formed the Eagles- a team for the Mid-South Adult Baseball League's Over 40 Wooden Bat division where Whit served as team manager. In the fall of 2021, Whit was invited to play in the Adult Baseball World Series in Arizona where his team secured second place having beat out the previous year's champion in the finals. Whit played every year from 2012 to 2022 and was looking forward to the 2023 season in the 55 and over league.

Whit's life began a beautiful new chapter in the summer of 2018 when he married his loving and dedicated wife, Penny, on the Memphis Queen riverboat before a gathering of friends and family. They enjoyed the best of both worlds having a home in East Memphis and a beautiful ranch in Arkansas. Eventually, Whit and Penny came to reside solely in Arkansas with Whit embracing the ranch life with much joy. He was particularly well verse in balancing his love for dress shoes and his newfound love for cowboy boots. He was a natural in helping care for and loving on the horses and other animals at the Rock Well Ranch in Judsonia. The love was mutual. Whit added many new friends and acquaintances in Arkansas. One thing has remained a constant for Whit across decades which was his absolute love for dancing and enjoying music that makes you feel good. And everyone that knew Whit, knows that he could dance. Among other notable things about Whit, he was stylish, and he had an enviable head of hair. Whit will be missed by so many friends and family members who love him dearly.

Whit was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his loving wife, Penny; daughters Lindsey and Kendall and son Zach (Cassie) all of Chattanooga; stepson Eric Collins and his two daughters, Heagan and Chanler of Judsonia, Arkansas; his brother Mike (Amy) of Germantown; one niece, Mary Ann who is a 1st Lt. in the United States Army, two nephews, Ryan, and Sam (Kappa Sigma) and four cousins. He is also survived by the members of his golf group, the Hacking Dogs along with numerous wooden bat baseball team members all over the Mid-South.

A visitation will be held Friday, February 24th from 5-7 p.m. at Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN 38119 and a memorial service will be held Saturday, February 25th at 10:00 a.m. in the Memorial Park Chapel, followed by a graveside service at 2:30 p.m. at the Oaklawn Memorial Gardens on Moore Street in Searcy, Arkansas 72143.

The family asks in lieu of flowers please consider a gift to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN; Forever Young Senior Vets of Collierville, TN ; American Stroke Association, Dallas, TX, or The Redbirds Community Fund, Memphis, TN.