Dr. John McGee

Cookeville Chapel - John C. McGee, 93, of Cookeville, Tennessee, passed away peacefully on October 2, 2026, leaving behind a life filled with curiosity, purpose, love, and an appreciation for every chapter of the journey.

John was born in Mannington, West Virginia, on August 12, 1933, to Clarence L. McGee and Bessie Ashenhart McGee. Because both of his grandfathers, as well as his father, worked in the oil and gas industry, John’s family moved often throughout his childhood. By the time he reached college, he had lived in eight different places-a childhood that gave him an early appreciation for new places, new people, and the stories that make up a life.

John attended Parkersburg High School and was a member of the Big Red Band before graduating from Charleston High School. He went on to West Virginia University, where he earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering. While at WVU, he was a member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honorary, served as secretary of Phi Lambda Upsilon Chemistry Honorary, and was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha social fraternity.

But the most important thing John found at West Virginia University wasn’t a degree or an honor. It was his beloved wife, Sylvia “Sammy” Means.

John and Sammy were married on September 14, 1957, in South Charleston, West Virginia, beginning a marriage that would span decades and become one of the great joys of John’s life up until her passing on August 5, 2021.

Following his university years, John worked in the chemical industry in Charleston and served a short period of active duty in the United States Air Force after the Korean War. He and his family later moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where John served as an instructor in the Department of Chemical Engineering while pursuing his Ph.D. He became a member of Phi Kappa Phi National Honorary during his time in Raleigh.

In 1965, John joined Tennessee Technological University, formerly Tennessee Polytechnic Institute, and became the first chairman of its new Chemical Engineering Department. What began as a new department would become a major part of John’s life’s work.

During his 20 years as department chairman, John helped guide the department through tremendous growth and change. The department moved through four campus homes before eventually settling into the newly planned and constructed Prescott Hall. Under his leadership, the Chemical Engineering Department developed an accredited Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Engineering degree, and an engineering Ph.D. program.

John was also part of a small group of engineering faculty who helped establish the first foundation on campus to support Tennessee Tech. The Engineering Development Foundation was initially formed outside the university structure and eventually became incorporated into the university structure, serving for many years as a source of support for the university. John served as its secretary and later continued serving Tennessee Tech in numerous ways.

He also served a term as President of the Nashville Chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

After 20 years as chairman, John returned to his role as a professor of Chemical Engineering. In many ways, this allowed him to continue doing what he loved most-working with young people and sharing his knowledge. In all, John spent 40 years working with college-age students, finding that teaching and mentoring young people was a wonderful way to spend a working career.

Yet John’s life was never defined only by his career.

He was a man who genuinely enjoyed every stage of his life. He embraced each season for what it had to offer, from raising a family and building a career to watching children become adults and grandchildren grow.

After retirement, John and Sammy especially enjoyed traveling together. Their travels weren’t simply about seeing new places. They often searched for pieces of their family’s history and ancestry along the way, following names, places, records, and stories that helped connect them to the generations who came before them.

John was a longtime member of First Presbyterian Church of Cookeville, where he served as both a deacon and an elder. His faith, his family, his students, his work, and his lifelong curiosity each became important threads in the story of his life.

He will be remembered as a loving son, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, as well as a teacher, mentor, engineer, traveler, historian of his own family, and lifelong learner.

John is survived by his sons, John C. McGee Jr., and his wife, Meg, Michael McGee, and his wife, Cindy, and daughters, Sylvia Renee’ Howk, and her husband, Pete, and Rebecca Talley, and her husband, Mark; his grandchildren, John McGee III, and his wife, Jessica, David McGee, and his girlfriend, Taylor, Benjamin “Ben” McGee, and his fiancé, Margaret, Brittany Barlow, and her husband, Robby, Stephanie McGee, and her fiancé, Jesse, Kristyn Salman, and her husband, Kelsey, Keely Howard, and her husband, Randall, and Rachel Crisp; and his great-grandchildren, Lilliana Colwell, Kennedy Salman, Kayden Salman, Karsyn Howard, Emmett Howard, Riley McGee, and Rhett Clark, along with extended family and friends who were blessed to know him.

A funeral service to honor John will be at 1 p.m. Thursday October 8 at the Cookeville Chapel of Hooper Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home. Rev. Michael McLaughlin will officiate. Interment will follow at Cookeville CIty Cemetery. Visitation for friend and family will be Thursday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

John’s life was long, full, and deeply lived. From the winding roads of his childhood to a distinguished career in engineering and education, from building a family with Sammy to traveling beside her in retirement in search of their shared history, John found something to appreciate in every chapter.

He didn’t simply move through life-he was curious about it, invested in it, and enjoyed it. And he leaves behind a family who will carry his stories, his lessons, and his love into the generations to come.

Hooper Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. (931)526-6111 Share condolences and memories at www.hhhfunerals.com.