Nelson McGee

NELSON MCGEE

6/4/1958 – 3/3/2022

Cedar Rapids

Nelson McGee departed this life on the morning of Thursday, March 3, 2022. He was born on June 4, 1958, in Memphis, Tenn., the youngest child of Jack and Jean Nelson. He grew up in Monroe, La., and graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, in 1981 with a Bachelor's degree in music. He subsequently earned a Master's degree in voice performance from the University of Missouri - Kansas City Conservatory. He was a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

Nelson lived in Kansas City for much of his adult life. He sang as an apprentice with the Des Moines Metro Opera, in the chorus of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and in the choirs of Second Presbyterian Church, Temple B'nai Jehudah and Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. He served as choirmaster at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Kansas City. Later in life, he found great satisfaction as a composer.

Nelson and his wife, the Rev. Lauren Lyon, were married in August 1993. At the time of his death, they lived in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Nelson was most recently employed as a supervisor in the Customer Care Support Center at TaxAct. He enjoyed his relationships with a close-knit and supportive group of colleagues, and particularly enjoyed his work as a trainer of new staff members.

Nelson loved the blues and the works of Ralph Vaughn Williams, Benjamin Britten and Richard Wagner. Although he did not earn his living as a musician, his work as a choirmaster and composer were high points in his vocational life. Of all the things his friends and family may remember him for, his intelligence, sense of humor and kindness will certainly be among them. Among the things he remembered with greatest joy were a vacation to visit blues sites in the Mississippi Delta, a trip to view the totality of the solar eclipse in Kansas City in August 2017, and a visit with his brother and sister to the Field of Dreams Movie site in Dyersville, Iowa. Nelson was a dog lover who became a cat lover, sharing his home at various times with feline companions Argent, Onyx, Tennison and Maggie. On the evening before he died, he completed his 1,432nd consecutive, correct and timely solution of the New York Times crossword puzzle. He was a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, the New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Royals.

Nelson is survived by his wife, Lauren Lyon of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and many family members, Charlotte Nelson Brunner and Vicki Wiggins, both of St. Louis, Mo., Scott Nelson of Monroe, La., Mike Deming of Germantown, Tenn., Sharon Leigh Stewart of Wilmington, N.C., and Michelle Gibson of South Haven, Miss.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother-in-law, Charles Brunner.

A Requiem Eucharist will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 19, 2022, at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 1307 Holmes, Kansas City, Mo., with a reception following. Burial will be private.

Memorial contributions to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, Miss., or the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, Tenn., are suggested.

Online condolences may be sent to his family at www.lensingfuneral.com.