Obituary for Brian James McKee
Brian James McKee
Brian was born on Saint Patrick’s Day in 1949 in Belfast, Ireland. He immigrated to the US in 1954. While in Ireland he competed in a baby beauty contest. He began working at the tender age of 14 at Metro Plastics in Garwood, NJ as a factory worker.
He attended Saint Anne’s Catholic School in Garwood, NJ through the 9th grade and went on to attend high school in Cranford, NJ. He was on the wresting team. Brian graduated Cranford High School in 1968. Afterwards he attended Rutgers University in Newark and graduated in January 1973 with a dual degree in psychology and history.
Following graduation he worked as an operating room technician at Saint Elizabeth’s hospital in Elizabeth, NJ. His love of medicine was kindled, and he went on to attend medical school in Guadalajara, Mexico. He never graduated due to an automobile accident in 1980 that left him quadriplegic. After his accident he moved to Elizabeth, NJ.
Brian married Linda Johnson on June 15, 1975. While married to Linda, the couple backpacked throughout Europe. Brian also lived in Cocoa Beach, Florida where he enjoyed surfing.
Brian had a great love for history, music, and politics. He would spend hours listening to a diverse range of music from afro-pop to classical. He endlessly listened to the news and was known to fill in the blanks about history whenever he watched movies with friends.
Brian re-located from Elizabeth, NJ in January 2014 to live in “nature” in Greentown, Pennsylvania. He loved watching the wildlife and enjoyed the trees and seasons in the area surrounding Lake Wallenpaupack. Some of his favorite outings involved visiting the various restaurants in the area as well as the local microbreweries.
Brian received in-home nursing from a crew of nurses, and he was ever grateful for their kindness and care.
Brian’s parents and wife pre-deceased him. He was “adopted” by the Blackburn-Sigley family in 1981 and will be greatly missed by Robin, Tom, Joshua, Bethany, Everton, and Noelle.
Brian was born on Saint Patrick’s Day in 1949 in Belfast, Ireland. He immigrated to the US in 1954. While in Ireland he competed in a baby beauty contest. He began working at the tender age of 14 at Metro Plastics in Garwood, NJ as a factory worker.
He attended Saint Anne’s Catholic School in Garwood, NJ through the 9th grade and went on to attend high school in Cranford, NJ. He was on the wresting team. Brian graduated Cranford High School in 1968. Afterwards he attended Rutgers University in Newark and graduated in January 1973 with a dual degree in psychology and history.
Following graduation he worked as an operating room technician at Saint Elizabeth’s hospital in Elizabeth, NJ. His love of medicine was kindled, and he went on to attend medical school in Guadalajara, Mexico. He never graduated due to an automobile accident in 1980 that left him quadriplegic. After his accident he moved to Elizabeth, NJ.
Brian married Linda Johnson on June 15, 1975. While married to Linda, the couple backpacked throughout Europe. Brian also lived in Cocoa Beach, Florida where he enjoyed surfing.
Brian had a great love for history, music, and politics. He would spend hours listening to a diverse range of music from afro-pop to classical. He endlessly listened to the news and was known to fill in the blanks about history whenever he watched movies with friends.
Brian re-located from Elizabeth, NJ in January 2014 to live in “nature” in Greentown, Pennsylvania. He loved watching the wildlife and enjoyed the trees and seasons in the area surrounding Lake Wallenpaupack. Some of his favorite outings involved visiting the various restaurants in the area as well as the local microbreweries.
Brian received in-home nursing from a crew of nurses, and he was ever grateful for their kindness and care.
Brian’s parents and wife pre-deceased him. He was “adopted” by the Blackburn-Sigley family in 1981 and will be greatly missed by Robin, Tom, Joshua, Bethany, Everton, and Noelle.