Willis Alston McGee

Willis Alston Banks McGee
November 4, 1987 - August 21, 2025

Born in Tuscaloosa and raised among the hardwoods and swamps in Greene County, Alabama, Willis Alston Banks McGee packed a lifetime of grit and good times into 37 short years.

Growing up, Alston hunted wild turkey and deer along the Black Warrior River and cast for bass whenever the water cooperated. He loved attending University of Alabama football games and was a standout student, attending Capitol School in Tuscaloosa and graduating as a valedictorian of Warrior Academy's Class of 2006. He went from University of West Alabama to the United States Marine Corps.

After graduating boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, Alston trained as a vehicle mechanic and rose to the rank of Corporal. He deployed to Afghanistan, where he was injured in combat and later received an honorable medical discharge-service he wore with quiet pride.

Stationed at Camp Lejeune, he put down roots in Sneads Ferry, North Carolina, sharing life with his partner, Whitney Swepson. Whether turning a wrench for neighbors, restoring a car, or doing small-engine repairs, Alston never met a machine he couldn't coax back to life.

He is survived by his mother, Kimberly Dawn Walton of Pinson, Alabama; his father, Willis Banks McGee of Eutaw; and maternal grandmother, Janice Wheat, and a big, boisterous circle of aunts, uncles, and cousins who will forever miss him.

The family will receive friends Friday, August 29, 2025, 6-8pm at Jones Funeral Home-Jacksonville.

In lieu of flowers, crank up some classic rock-and-roll, take a kid hunting or fishing, or donate to the Semper Fi & America's Fund in his name.

"Some people leave footprints. Alston left tire tracks, boot prints, and a tackle box of memories."