Margaret A McGee

Peoria - Margaret A. McGee, age 88, died April 16, 2020 in Peoria, Illinois. She was born July 4, 1931 in East Alton, IL, the daughter of Anthony and Anna (Sugent) Grems. She graduated from St. John’s Hospital nursing school in St. Louis, MO. She was a link in a chain of 4 generations of nurses in the McGee family. After meeting on a blind date arranged by their mutual best friends, she married Dr. John McGee on October 17, 1953 and they enjoyed 66 years together.

During the early years of marriage, she followed her husband through medical training and military service as her family expanded, moving to Minnesota, New Mexico and back to St. Louis before settling in Ft. Madison, IA in 1960. There, the last four of eight children were born and she oversaw the construction of her home in 1967 where the family lived for 41 years. In 2008 they relocated to Chicago before moving to Peoria in 2017.

She was a creative and talented cook who loved to collect recipes, and shared many that were passed down through generations. Having eight children in the span of a decade, and a husband who was frequently on call as an obstetrician, a family meal with all 10 eating together was a rare event. She made a daily routine of visiting with each child, and any friend they brought home, over the meals she served. She was always ready for the next dinner wave, which continued over several hours each evening as practices and school events kept a steady flow of children coming and going. The family motto was “There is always room for one more at the table”. She had a sweet tooth and took delight in macarons, cheesecake and profiteroles.

She was a legendary shopper, though she looked far more than she bought. She loved traveling around the world with her husband, and visiting her children and grandchildren. She was loved and revered by her family.

Her greatest achievement was creating, along with her husband, a home environment in which her children thrived in an atmosphere of unconditional love and support. Allowed to pursue all interests, and instilled with a passion to read and learn, her children developed their own way in life and realized their full potential. They include the head of an environmental testing lab, an anesthesiologist, an oncology nurse, an author/nurse coordinator of cardiac surgery research, a forester/electrical engineer/inventor with over 30 patents, a radiologist who is a Fellow in the American College of Radiology, a computer scientist/trader/quant researcher for a multi-billion dollar hedge fund, and a nurse who also became an attorney.

One sister, Mrs. Bill (Frances) Meikle, Albuquerque, New Mexico; 5 sons, Mike (Susan), Cedar Falls, Iowa; Joe (Anne), Palo Alto, California; Brian (Su), Chillicothe, Illinois; James (Joan), Peoria, Illinois; Robert (Heidi), Westport, Connecticut; and 3 daughters, Ann (Ralph) Tyler, Onalaska, Wisconsin; Jane Kruse, Chicago, IL; and Maureen (Clay) Cary, St. Louis, Missouri, survive her. She was the proud grandmother of 19 grandchildren and 1 great-grand daughter. Her parents, and her husband, John, who died on April 4th of this year, preceded her in death.

She was a devout Roman Catholic and a member of St.Vincent DePaul parish in Peoria, IL.

Services are pending. Davison-Fulton Woolsey-Wilton Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Northwestern Memorial Foundation, 541 North Fairbanks Court, Chicago, Illinois 60611. Please make the check payable to “Northwestern Memorial Foundation” and include “Margaret A. McGee” in the memo line. Donations can also be made online at giving.nm.org/mmcgee or over the phone at (312) 926-2033. Your gift will support Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute. Online condolences may be left at www.woolsey-wilton.com.

The family would like to thank Unity Point Hospice and nurse Jacquiline Kimmey, RN for their care and kindness.