Lela Jeanette McGee

Lela Jeanette (Caughman) McGee was born on March 25, 1940, in Stilwell, Oklahoma. She was the first of 7 children born to Emogene and Carney Caughman Sr. She passed from this world at Hastings Hospital Comfort Care Unit surrounded by her family and met Jesus on January 2, 2026, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma at the age of 85 years, 9 months and 8 days.
Jeanette graduated from Stilwell High School in 1958. She married Arnold McGee on November 12, 1958, in Wilburton, Oklahoma, a marriage that celebrated 67 years. She earned her Bachelor's degree in education from Northeastern State College and then continued her education by earning her Master's and Reading Specialist Certificate. She started her teaching career at Wolf Springs Elementary School in Tahlequah. From there she went on to teach at Woodall Public School for several years. She completed her teaching career at Rocky Mountain School as a Reading Specialist and retired after a total of 27 years teaching. After retirement, she was employed by NSU serving as a mentor to first year teachers in many districts throughout northeast Oklahoma. She also worked in the Literacy Lab at Cherokee Elementary for five years teaching little ones how to read before retiring completely to be a full-time wife, mom, and Mem.
Jeanette loved her family and spending time with them, always being an active participant in their many activities. She loved attending dance recitals to watch her granddaughters and great- granddaughter perform. She attended as many football, baseball, and basketball games as possible to cheer on her grandsons and great grandsons or watch her granddaughters cheer and dance on the Pom Squad, and she never missed a birthday party. She was a wonderful cook with her specialities being hot rolls, fried pies, meringue pies, and slickers (chicken and dumplings). She loved to sew, make beautiful one-of-a-kind quilts, camp out at the lake, and go on adventures with her children and siblings, making cherished memories along the way. Holidays were always an extra special time for her. Whether it be Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Halloween, or the 4th of July, she always did her best to make it fun and memorable for everyone. She put a priority on being together with her family. As long as everyone was together, she was happy.
She was always an active member of her church, most recently Calvary Assembly of God in Tahlequah. She taught Sunday School in both the children and adult departments and was the leader of the Women's Missionary Council. She loved to sing in the choir at church and looked forward to singing gospel music and playing her autoharp with her brothers in the Elgin Mountain Boys Bluegrass Band.
It was very important to Jeanette that everyone in her family and all her friends knew the Lord as their personal savior and would be reunited one day in heaven. It was her honor to share the hope and love of Jesus wherever she went.
Preceding her in death are her parents, Emogene and Carney Caughman Sr., her brother Dale Caughman, her brother-in-law Bill Scott, her sister-in-law Martha Caughman, her daughter-in-law Connie McGee, and baby grandson Jordan Lee McGee.
Jeanette is survived by her husband Arnold McGee, sons Don McGee and wife Kathie of Vian, OK, Dr. Arnie McGee and wife Angie of Gore, OK, Randy McGee and wife Lorie of Tahlequah, OK, and Leland Jay McGee of Gore, OK. She was blessed with 9 grandchildren; Jennifer Smith and husband Dustin, Phillip McGee and wife Sammy Jo, Ryan McGee and wife Rose, Carrie McGee, Jarrod McGee, Josh McGee, Megan Pool and husband Zach, Andrea Davis and husband Rhett, Mason McGee and wife Sarah, Erika Walls, and 18 great grandchildren, her sisters Terry Scott, Carnella Harris and husband Dick, Delana Mair and husband Gordon, brothers Dean Caughman and wife Jan, and Carney Jr., as well as a many cherished friends and loved ones.
Sincere thanks go out to the nursing staff at Hastings Hospital Comfort Care Unit who went up and above to care for Jeanette in her final days. We will be forever grateful. Jeanette will be greatly missed, but we know she is singing with the angels in heaven.