Margaret Ruby McKee's Obituary
Margaret Ruby McKee was born on June 7, 1920, in Plainfield, New Jersey, and grew up in York, Pennsylvania. She was the middle child of Ruby and George Ruby, having an older sister Mary, and a younger brother George.
Margaret was always very artistic, as were her mother and father. She played the piano for her friends at parties, and all would stand around the piano and sing for hours, as folks did back in the day. Margaret played the oboe in high school; her sister played the flute, as did her father, who was a founding member of the York Symphony Orchestra. They all played in the orchestra together.
Marg attended Oberlin College in Ohio, graduating with a degree in music education in 1942. She received her master’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1946, and met her future husband, William McKee, when they both played in the Syracuse Symphony. Upon marrying in 1948, they moved to Rochester, NY, where Bill McKee got his master’s degree, and their first child was born.
Bill and Marty moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1951, where both played in the Tulsa Philharmonic, Bill as principal horn, and Marty McKee as English horn. Three children later, Marty taught them to love music and art, taught them all to play an instrument, was a Cub Scout leader, a Girl Scout leader, and was active in the PTA at Kendall Elementary School.
As the children were nearing college age, Marty got her certification to teach elementary music education in the Tulsa Public Schools, driving to five different elementary schools, teaching scores of children string instruments, wind and brass, even percussion.
Marty retired in the mid 80s. In her retired years, she traveled extensively with her ex-husband and best friend, Bill. They followed the Oregon Trail, took a float trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, traveled to Nepal and India, took their grandchildren on an Alaska cruise, and went on a cruise through the Panama Canal together with Margaret’s sister Mary and her husband. Marty also belonged to the walking club in Tulsa, AVA, the American Volkssport Association, walking 10Ks all over the country.
Bill got Marty interested in Line Dancing, and for many years, Marty taught line dancing classes at the Broken Arrow Senior Center before retiring at 90 years old. She was still traveling, in her 80s and 90s, to Greece, Spain, Machu Picchu, New York, and California, and had a zip line adventure when she was 92.
Margaret McKee is survived by her four children, George of Houston, Jon of Kansas, Tim of Fayetteville, Robin and her husband Tim Day of California, and her two grandchildren, Britton and Ruby, with whom she loved to play canasta.
Mom was 45 days short of her 103rd birthday.
The family thanks the wonderful caregivers and staff of Prairie House Assisted Living in Broken Arrow for their generosity, kindness, and love shown to Marty in her last years.
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