Louise Beam Mckee

Louise Beam McKee, a devoted wife, mother and grandmother, died January 23, 2022 at the age of 98.

Born March 7, 1923, in Cleveland County, North Carolina, Louise Beam McKee was the eldest daughter of the late Elzie Lee Beam and Della Cora Borders Beam.  She was a 1947 graduate of the Watts School of Nursing in Durham and worked as a charge nurse at Watts Hospital and at York County Hospital in Rock Hill, South Carolina.  She met her husband, George Rankin McKee, Jr. while he was a student at UNC and she was a student at Watts, and they married on Jan. 16, 1948.  Louise continued to use her nursing skills and dependable nature for most of her life helping family and friends in times of ill health.  Louise and George shared almost 47 loving years of marriage before his death on Jan. 4, 1995.  Together they enjoyed entertaining friends, generously caring for others, attending Carolina basketball and football games, holiday gatherings, and family times at the beach.  George and Louise were always about family.

A longtime resident of Durham, Louise was an active member of Epworth United Methodist Church for more than 50 years.  She sang in the church choir, was a faithful member of the Care Group and Altar Guild and was committed to maintaining the beauty of the Memorial Garden.  For years, she was a member of the Durham Woman’s Club, Garden Makers Garden Club and provided caring hospitality in her home through Duke Medical Center’s Host Homes program.  

She was joyfully involved in the lives of her three daughters, and later in the lives of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and taught all of them the importance of treating all people with respect and kindness as well as the importance of education and hard work.  Wherever there was a garden, in her own yard or others, she was tending it as she loved being outdoors and often gleaned flowers or food to share with others.  She was completely devoted to her family and extended family and could always be counted on to extend a delicious meal, a listening ear, a warm hug, or wise counsel.  She did small things with great love.

Louise had a competitive spirit and enjoyed playing tennis and, in later years, golf with her husband and friends at Hope Valley Country Club.  For years after her move to The Forest at Duke retirement community, she enjoyed her friends and remained active with bridge, water aerobics, volleyball and regularly tending to the community rose garden.  She also continued to attend church and visit those who were sick and home bound until she could no longer do so.

Survivors include her three daughters: Katherine McKee (Sid DuPont), Jody (Eddie) Echols, and Georgia (David) Pierce; her grandchildren, Winder (Estefi Elias) Holeman, Ran (Katie) Holeman, Katherine (Edward) Speaker, Mollie Echols, Collier Echols, Jordan Pierce, Mary Gates Pierce and Callie Pierce; and her great-grandchildren, George Holeman, Jamie Holeman, Mateo Elias-Holeman, Edward Archambault, Tillar Louise Speaker and Judson Speaker.  In addition to her parents and her husband, she was predeceased by her beloved granddaughter, Anna Echols Archambault, and her son-in-law, Quentin Mallard.

Survivors also include her brother, David Beam, and two sisters, Vernell Jones and Cora Shinn, her sister-in-law, Peggy McKee Brown, and numerous and much-loved nieces and nephews.  Her sisters, Caroline Martin and Myra Sue Beam, and her brothers, Charles Beam, Carlton Beam, and Mike Beam, and her brother-in-law, Jack McKee, predeceased her.

Because of the COVID pandemic, services will be private.

In lieu of flowers charitable donations may be made to Epworth United Methodist Church, 3002 Hope Valley Road, Durham, NC 27707 to be added to the Epworth United Methodist Church Endowment Fund or to the University of North Carolina-CH to support (1) The Louise Beam McKee and George Rankin McKee Jr. Carolina Covenant Scholarship Fund and (2) The Louise Beam McKee and George Rankin McKee Jr. BSBA International Study Fund; checks should be marked with the fund name in the memo line and made payable to The University of North Carolina, P.O. Box 309, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.  

The McKee family is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service, Durham, NC.