Betty McKee

Betty McKee was born on January 31st, 1935 in Claremore, OK, the daughter of Josiah Oosahwee and Emma (Carey) McKee. Hulbert was her childhood home and it was here she spent time with her three brothers and three sisters, Marie, Nancy, Becky, Joe, Jimmy, and Virgil. She attended Chilocco Boarding School and educated to the 9th grade. She worked hard her entire life and worked predominantly at Tri B Nursery , working with plants , and also at Prestolite in Wagoner. She was the proud mother of four adored children, Darrell, Sondra, Thyla and Kanaiah. She was a homebody, and she loved the view from her own backdoor. Betty would go out and pick strawberries, pecans, apples and blueberries. She was usually in the kitchen, making her famous biscuits and gravy, fry bread, fried taters and Sarah's Delight! There was always a crossword puzzle being worked, a game of Bingo to play, watch a little “Dancing With The Stars”, and good music like Johnny Horton and Charlie Pride. She was a Cherokee Speaker, and proud of her heritage, she knew who she was and where she came from. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren were a great source of pride and she was happy spending her time just being with them., She attended the United Methodist Church of Hulbert. Her path she traveled wasn’t always smooth, she had lost her mother and father, all of her brothers and sisters except Virgil and most recently, her son, Darrell on December 7th as well as her daughter, Sondra. She passed from this life on December 10th, 2024 in Tahlequah, OK, surrounded by the family that loved her. She was 89 years old and will be greatly missed.

She is preceded in death by her grandparents, Mary Oosahwee and Steve Carey and Rachel Downing Hughes. She joins her parents, one daughter Sondra and one son, Darrell, two grandchildren, Mark McKee and Preston McKee, and three great grandchildren, Emilio McKee, Lathan Holuby and Caleb Soap.

Those left to cherish her memory include her daughters, Thyla Albertson and husband Greg of Ely NV and Kanaiah Justice of Tahlequah, OK. There is one brother, Virgil McKee, of Oklahoma City, OK, and eight adored grandchildren, Kalana Holuby and husband Michael of Muskogee, Jeremy Soap and wife Codi of Reno, NV, Sarah McKee of Tulsa, OK, Thyla McKee and husband Jake of Indiana, Beth Ogle and husband Christopher of South Carolina, Jacob McKee and wife Olivia of Ohio, Terri McKee and companion Terry Owens of Tahlequah and Alexis McKee of Tahlequah, a large amount of great grandchildren, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends and loved ones too numerous to mention.

Funeral services for Betty McKee will be conducted on Wednesday, December 18th, 2024 at 11:00 AM at Reed-Culver Chapel with Pastor Sam Keener officiating. The family will receive guests for visitation beginning at 8:00 AM until services time. Betty’s life will be celebrated along with her son, Darrell McKee, who preceded her in death.

Honorary pallbearers for Betty include Jeremy Soap, Alexis McKee, Chance McKee and King Brown.