Audra Darlene McGee

Audra Darlene (Fattig) McGee, was born April 5, 1925, in Cambridge, Nebraska, to Ethel Dicie (Trosper) and Grover Daniel Fattig. She lived a vibrant, century-long life defined by family devotion, creativity, and a love of learning. Audra passed away peacefully on February 24, 2026, at the age of 100. She left a legacy of quiet strength, warmth, and inspiration.

Audra’s childhood was forged in the Dust Bowl hardships of the Nebraska plains, where her family’s farm struggles led to repeated relocations across Kansas and Nebraska during the Great Depression. In 1936, the family settled in Idaho, near the emerging Sun Valley Resort. Audra excelled in music as a clarinetist in school bands and earning honors while adapting to the challenges of tent living, cabin-building, and long bus rides to high school.

In Jerome, Idaho, she met Harry C. McGee at a dance in 1942. Their swift courtship culminated in marriage on May 2, 1943, just after her high school graduation. Their early years mirrored wartime mobility: jobs at Boeing in Seattle, post-war moves through Oregon and Nebraska, and the birth of their 3 children, Sandra Darlene, Mary Ellen, and Harry Dean.

The family settled in Caldwell, Idaho, in the early 1950s, where Audra worked at J.R. Simplot Co. and became active on the company’s bowling team. She remained deeply involved with the Methodist Church throughout their years in Idaho, Washington, and Michigan.

Subsequent moves took them to Spokane, Washington; North Muskegon; and Traverse City, Michigan where Harry built McGee and Associates insurance agency with Audra assisting in the office.

After Harry’s leukemia diagnosis and passing on September 16, 1976, Audra became a licensed insurance agent to continue his business, honoring his legacy. She later focused on caring for her mother, Ethel (who lived to 92, passing in 1990). They went on numerous genealogy research trips across the U.S. during the late 1970s and 1980s. Audra continued similar meaningful trips with her children in the early 2000s, deepening family roots and bonds. She cherished family get-togethers and family vacations to places like Pigeon Forge, Luray Caverns, and Washington, D.C., including historic sites tied to ancestors.

Audra enjoyed working with ceramics, oil painting, many types of arts and crafts, knitting, crocheting, golfing, playing bridge, and especially loved making quilts. She designed and created many beautiful quilts during her Michigan and Florida years. She also became an enthusiastic computerized embroiderer. She owned several Bernina machines and became proficient in creating custom embroidery designs that enhanced many of her quilts. Audra stayed current with technology, upgrading to new computers whenever her son did, starting with early PCs in the mid-1980s.

In 2013 she moved to The Villages, Florida, enjoying retirement in a lively community.

Audra’s later years brought hearing challenges that limited group activities, though a life-changing cochlear implant in 2018 greatly improved communication with loved ones, bringing renewed joy to family interactions.

Spanning the Dust Bowl, World War II, profound personal losses, and a century of change, Audra exemplified grace, adaptability, and quiet fortitude. She was a supportive partner, dedicated mother and grandmother and was a loyal friend to many.

She is survived by a daughter, Sandra (Curtis) Holliday; a son, Harry Dean (Nancy) McGee; 6 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and 17 great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Harry C. McGee; a daughter Mary Ellen (McGee) Killman; grandson, Daniel J. Killman; and great-great-granddaughter, Ellie N. Holliday.

Rest in peace Audra – your story of enduring love, creativity, and family devotion continues to inspire. Your memory lives on in the hearts of all who knew and loved you.

Cremation has taken place and a graveside memorial service will be held on Monday, July 6, 2026 at 1:00 pm at Oakwood Cemetery, 1720 Hannah Ave., Traverse City, MI 49686.

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