MCKEE, MICHAEL

Michael was a graduate of the 1964 class of Monsignor Bonner Catholic High School, and a proud veteran of the US Navy (1966-1969). Upon his honorable discharge, he began a career as an electrician, graduating with a degree from Temple University. He later transitioned to sales and regional sales management for industrial battery suppliers.

An accomplished golfer, he was a longtime member of the Paxon Hollow Country Club in Marple Township. Over the course of 40 years, he celebrated four holes-in-one, and won every major tournament hosted by the club, including the Club Championship (1986), the President’s Cup (1990s), and the Bob Kelleher Memorial. After a challenging recovery from a near debilitating injury in 2020, he trained his way back into competitive play, most recently winning the club’s 2023 Labor Day tournament as the club’s oldest member. He was also active in charity tournaments and events.

Ever since his time in the navy, Michael nurtured a life-long affinity for the sea—a sailor to the end. In February 2023, he traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, to revisit his “alma mater,” the USS Yorktown, contributing to the Together We Served veterans’ oral history project. “To calm my soul, I would stop and reflect: a ship the size of the Yorktown, just a speck in the vast Atlantic,” he shared earlier this year. “The sea had a strong draw on me.”

Friends, family and acquaintances knew him as the life of the party, and a larger-than-life personality who could win over those he met with memorable stories and a singular mix of charm and playful bravado.

He is survived by his son, Michael Patrick; his sister-in-law, Susanne, and his nephews Patrick and Timothy; Ginny, his former wife (married 1972); Eileen, his former companion of 27 years; and countless friends.