Teresa W. McGehee

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Feb. 1, 1920 – Nov. 20, 2012

NATCHEZ — Services for Teresa W. McGehee, 92, who crossed over Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012, will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Laird Funeral Home Chapel.

Burial will follow at Midway Cemetery in Meadville under the direction of Laird Funeral Home.

Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time Wednesday at the funeral home.

An indomitable spirit, both wise and patient, she excelled in life, with grace, under pressure.

A product of our “Greatest Generation,” during World War II, she joined the Red Cross, taking care of the personal needs and correspondence of the returning soldiers. In the late 1960s, she formed “Stage 67,” a theater group in Natchez and served as its director. In 1984, Teresa McGehee, Margaret Ward, Pattie Godfrey and Cathy Marshall answered a need in the Natchez community by establishing the Natchez Community Stewpot. She pursued a college degree after work hours, made possible by a man who saw her potential. She then received her law degree from The Jackson School of Law at Mississippi College while in her late 50s. Mrs. McGehee was also a parishioner of St. Mary Basilica and was a member of the Soup Group.

She raised four children while working full-time with the help of Martha Alexander, a jewel if ever there was one.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Ethel Taylor Stewart; her father, John Conrad Wacker; her stepfather, Duncan Angus Stewart; her husband, James Claude McGehee Jr.; three brothers, John C. Wacker Jr., James E. Wacker and William A. Wacker; one sister, Mary Louise Murdock; and a number of neighborhood dogs which gravitated to her.

Survivors include four children, James C. McGehee III and wife, Carol, Duncan Stewart McGehee, William G. “Tip” McGehee and Mary Louise McGehee; five grandchildren, Whitney, Erin, Matthew, Hannah and Laurel; and one step-granddaughter, Natalie.

Pallbearers will be Anthony Tuccio, Joe Tuccio, Phillip Trosclair, Peter Trosclair, Whitney “Will” McGehee and Matthew McGehee.

The family extends thanks to Valerie Brady, her faithful caregiver and friend.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Natchez Community Stewpot, c/o Louis Gunning, P.O. Box 298, Natchez, MS 39121, will be greatly appreciated.

Online condolences may be sent to www.lairdfh.com .