Dad,

       Where do I start? How can I accurately tell the world your journey? Let me tell the parts that I know, the moments that you impressed upon me and the emotions that we battled with to do our best to win.

        Born on August 4, 1950, my dad Larry Reed McGee was born to my grandfather Reed McGee, who passed when you were twelve, and Vera (Carter) McGee; in New York. As the youngest of three children, with two older sisters, Marge and Barbara, maybe you felt a desire to prove that you could bear the weight of being the “man of the house” who would need to step up and in. Did you spend your whole life trapped trying to prove yourself while wanting just to be free? 

         Until this day I’m not sure if you grew up in the Bronx or Brooklyn while being born in money making Manhattan, but I do know that you were and will always be a lover of all things New York –Go Yankees!! Long Island, NY is where your mastery of handball created memories for me trying to compete with you as you ran me all over the court. 

          You never spoke much about your education after high school, but what is burnt into my head was that you had 2.5 PHDs in life. A life filled with you grinding in entrepreneurial opportunities from car washing to plastic manufacturing. You would often bring me the interesting plastic “toys” from caps to combs to hangers to shoe horns to stuff that you had no idea what it was. I smiled wide knowing that you cared enough to mark those items on the inventory sheet as damaged so that I could have them. 

          Dad, you were a loner by nature who loved telling about your adventures with Bob and Bobby and Marion and Audrey and others. You were famous for finding a few people in a crowd to share your stories, which created new friends. Facebook will miss your shenanigans. However, you had that core crew of 5-7 friends, for 50+ years, which we all wish to have in our final days. To know that someone out here has your back through all of your craziness and intoxicated evenings is comforting. That’s a deeper love that I hope to confirm for me and my people. Priceless.

         You were married to my mom, Reatha Cherry McGee and we lived in Roosevelt, Long Island for a few years. Those couple of years must have broke the mold for you because you never completed the acts again. No siblings for me, unless…. Any hand raisers?  You also never remarried, although you did manage to reopen your heart once or twice over the years. Oh how I wish that you had been able to find that ONE who could help heal your wounds.  Wounds that you covered with escapes both internally in your mind as a professional aggregator and externally with trips, stumbling from landing to landing.

          God gave me the gift of you for so many reasons. Your absence, constant work effort, hustle, ability to speak the truth, while keeping secrets as to why you left me at the age of two. It wasn’t what I thought and wonder how life would have been if I knew earlier. I built my core on the fact that you were forced to fight the world and could not fight just for me. I better now understand your battles. You best played the hand you were dealt and built on what you understood. I wish I could have convinced you that we were ideal teammates, if you would have just chose to allow me to be your proud legacy, as we created our joint victory. I would have loved to fulfill my God given part, as your buddy; your son.

          Dad, you were the life of the party. Your presence was known, heard and seen making those around you laugh. You weren’t the dancer, but you could tear up a debate and a two-step on most Fox News items. You enjoyed disrupting my day and night with breaking political news. 

           Your deeper joys circled around my girls, your daughter-in-law, Wileeta Cheresse McGee and grandchildren, Dejah, Destiny and Desirae. These were the only people on this planet that I knew who could make him stop in place to say I love you. These ladies also extended their love to you by watching over their Gramps and chuckled by the thought of what they did to protect you from himself. Oh how you treasured those afternoons of BurgerKing Wednesday with your grandbabies. 

            In addition to myself and the girls you leave behind great grandchildren Dior, Davis & Demi, Sisters – Marjorie and Barbara(Malcolm), Nephews –Jaffar (Kari), Donnie & Sheldon, Niece – Halima & Leanne (Joy), Great Nephews – Chase & Saahvon, Great Nieces – Abrionna & Hayden, Great-Great Nephew – Miles. 

           For years I desired to run and be nothing like you and now I look into the mirror to see you. How is that possible? 

          Dad was living in Jacksonville FL and you left us on June 26, 2024, at 73. He laid down on his bed, sent a few texts then left us. He found his peace, crossed his arms and finally didn’t have to fight any battles.

I want to THANK anyone and everyone who was a part of my dad’s story. He thoroughly enjoyed, hated, and loved us all.

It will be my pleasure to close out my dad’s journey with a final trip to Mexico. 

..Dad, while we will soon take one last trip together, to the place that you asked to escape too for years. Your buddy is here and prepared to carry you to the spot that you wished to find your eternal freedom.

Dad, Thank you for everything I love you.