James L. McGee, 88, died peacefully at his Colorado Springs home on April 19, 2024. He is survived by his wife Patricia, son James Jr. (Peggy), daughter Kristin Hummel, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, at MacKenzie Place, 1605 Elm Creek View, Colorado Springs.
Jim was born on October 8, 1935, in Fort Madison, Iowa, the only child of O.L. and Eleanor (Hitch) McGee. As a youth, he enjoyed outdoor activities and summers on his grandfather’s property in Saskatchewan. He lettered in three sports at Fort Madison High, graduating in 1953. He earned a B.A. in history in 1958 from the University of Iowa, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity.
He enlisted in the United States Air Force and served as a meteorologist, achieving the rank of airman first class. While stationed in Spain, he met Patricia Ann Nelson, a fellow Midwesterner, who was teaching abroad. They married in Illinois in 1963.
In 1962 Jim joined the A.C. Nielsen Company, working in numerous management positions in the coupon-processing division over a 28-year career. In 1972 he became branch manager of Nielsen’s Juárez, Mexico, plant, relocating from Iowa to El Paso, Texas. He retired as Vice President.
He earned a master’s degree in history from the University of Texas – El Paso in 1998. He was active in the Downtown Kiwanis Club, the UTEP Miner Foundation, and University Presbyterian Church, where he served on the session. He enjoyed golf and fishing, making annual trips to Mazatlán, Mexico.
He moved to Colorado Springs in 2000 and became an active member of First United Methodist Church, The Argonauts, and Curiosity Unlimited. In his later years, he enjoyed fishing in the Rockies and traveling in Europe, Asia, and South America.
Jim is remembered as a loving and faithful husband, father, colleague, and friend, who always had a smile and a story to share. Memorial gifts may be directed to the UCCS Curiosity Unlimited Scholarship Fund, https://giving.cu.edu/fund/curiosity-unlimited-scholarship-fund.