Background by Barry
Marg and I met Bill and Jill McKee at a family reunion in 2000. They had retired to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and Marg’s family lived in Halifax, so we subsequently visited about once a year. They had a small retirement house with a remarkable garden, and we always enjoyed these visits.
Bill died n 2012, but before that he and his brother Ross wrote a description of their early years on the farm of his Grandfather Andrew in Machar Township; now a Page Here . This is an interesting but difficult story; in the 1870’s the only homesteads available were in Northern Ontario on the granite Canadian shield – terrible land for farming. My father bought a neighboring farm there when he marred my mother, Elleta, but in 1942 when I was 2, they moved to southern Ontario. I recall asking my mother later what life was like there in the 30’s and she said, “Life was very difficult, but the people were wonderful”. A good summary, I think!
Bill’s Obituary is available here as a PDF File. Bill is described there as “a true gentleman” and that is certainly true! It is interesting that my brother Bev was described the same way – is this part of our McKee genes? I hope yes! A couple of years ago, I asked Jill for permission to scan some of Bill’s early pictures and for her to contribute some stories about Bill and their family. These pictures have been put as a gallery at the bottom of this page. Bill’s son Andrew married Stephannie in 2009. I took some pictures at their wedding and they are in a sub-page Pictures from Andrew’s Wedding.
Over to Jill here, with thanks!
100 – Bill McKee – about 1948 
101 -1952 – David, Earl, Bill, Beatrice 
102 -1952 – Bill, Harold 
103 -1954 – Sault St Marie 
104 -1955 – Bill, Harold with son Dave, Earl, Dave 
105 -1957 – Harold, Audrey, son Dave 
106 -1957 – Bill. Harold 
107 -1958 – Dave, Beatrice, grandchildren camping 
108 -1962 – AECL Bill at left 
110 -1963 – Bill, Earl, Harold (?) 
111 -1963 – Dave, Beatty, grandson Dave 
112 -1964 – Beatty, xx, Dave, Bill – cottage at Eagle lake 
113 -1965 – Earl with daughter 
114 -1965 – Christmas – Dave, Beatty, Ross 
200 – Bill – grad photo- 1965 
201 – Harold, Ross, Earl, Bill – 1968 
202 – Bill, Jill -wedding day, 1968 
210 – Bill, Lyssa 1970 
212 – Bill, Lyssa, Andrew 1972 
215 – Bill, Lyssa, Andrew, Jill – scouting 1984 
220 – Bill, Jill, Lyssa – wedding 1990 
225 – Bill, Amanda Birthday 1997 
230 – Bill, Jessica 1998 
250 – 2001 Billl. Jilll, Murray, Lyssa, Amanda, Jessica, Marg, Barry – Eastern Passage 
255 – 2001 Murray, Marg, Bill, Jill, Barry, Lyssa, Jessica, Amanda – Eastern Passage 
265 – 2003 – Home with Bill, Jill & Andrew 
270 – 2003 Reunion Brothers Ross,, Bill, Harold 
275 – 2003 Reunion Ross, Bill, Harold, Audrey, Jill, Marilyn 
280 – 2003 Reunion Ross, Bill, Harold, Audrey, Jill, Andrew 
285 – 2004 Bill – Garden, Dartmouth 
290 – 2004 Garden, Dartmouth 
295 – 2004 Barry, Bill – Garden, Dartmouth 
300 – 2004 Andrew, Jill – Garden, Dartmouth 
310 – 2006 Reunion Brothers – Harold, Bill, Ross, Earl 
315 – 2006 Reunion Brothers – Harold, Bill, Ross, Earl 
320 – 2006 Bill, Andrew, Tom, Mike – Reunion 
330 – 2006 – Bill, Barry, Jill, Marg – Garden 
335 – 2006 – Bill, Barry, Jill, Marg – Garden 
340 – 2006 Bill, Jill, Karina, Barry, Marg – Tea 
350 – 2007 – Bill, Barry – Lawrencetown 
355 – 2007 – Barry, Bill, Jill – Lawrencetown 
360 – 2007 Barry, Bill, – Lawrencetown 
365 – 2007 – Bill, Jill, Marg – Party 
370 – 2007 – Bill, Amanda – Party 
400 – pre wedding dinner – Ottawa, 2009 
402 – pre wedding dinner – Ottawa, 2009 
405 – Bill at Andrews wedding – 2009 
410 – Bill, Jill, family – Andrew’s wedding – 2009 
415 – Wedding – Stephannie, Andrew, Jill, Bill, Jill, families – 2009 
500 – 2010 – Bill and Jill, Eastern Passage 
560 – 2011 – Bill, Jill, Marg, Barry – Lunch, Dartmouth 
565 – 2011 – Bill at Parkland, Dartmouth 
570 – 2011 – Bill, Jill, Barry -Parkland, Dartmouth 
575 – 2011 – Bill, Barry -Parkland, Dartmouth 
580 – 2011 – Bill, Jill -Parkland, Dartmouth 
585 – 2011 – Jill – Orchids – Parkland, Dartmouth 
620 – Bill, Jill Birthday – 2011 
630 – Murray, Jill, Lyssa -2011 
640 – 2011 Amanda, Jessica 
675 – Christmas – Bill, Jill 2011 
680 – Christmas -Jill, Bill, Lyssa 2011 
685 – Christmas – Lyssa, Jill, Bill, Murray 2011 
690 – Christmas – Amanda,Jill, Bill, Jessica 2011 
710 – 2012 Jill, Bill, Lyssa, Murray 
720 – 2012 Bill, Jill, Amanda, Jessica 
730 – 2012 – Christmas -Jill, Bill, Lyssa, Murray 
740 -2012 Christmas -Jill, Amanda, Jessica 
800 – Andrew, Bill, Jill, Andrew, Lyssa 20xx 
810 – Andrew, Liam 20xx