Joseph "Joe" D. McNee

Joseph “Joe” Denham McNee, of Clearwater MN, passed away on Sunday, April 19th, at the age of 92.

Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service on Monday, April 27th, at 11 a.m. at Benson Funeral Home, 1111 25th Ave S, St Cloud, MN. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Light refreshments will follow.

Joe was born on March 27th, 1934, in the city of Ayr, Scotland. He emigrated to the United States in 1954 and became a U.S. citizen in 1965. Joe worked in the construction industry in the Twin Cities area until he enlisted in the US Air Force in 1956. He served until 1970, including a deployment to Vietnam from 1968-9. Upon leaving the USAF, he attended SCSU, earning a degree in English and secondary education in 1972.  For more than three decades, Joe taught high school and junior high school English in the St. Cloud school district where he engendered a love of language and creative expression in generations of central Minnesotan students. During this time, he re-entered military service in the US Naval Reserve, eventually retiring at the rank of Petty Officer 1st Class.  Joe fulfilled a lifelong dream by earning his private pilot’s license and continued to serve his adopted country in the St. Cloud Civil Air Patrol Squadron and Wings of Mercy.

Joe is survived by his wife of 70 years, Daphne McNee, and his children, Jodie Gohmann, Colin McNee, and Kirsty Smith.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Disabled American Veterans in his name.

The family wishes to thank the staff at the St. Cloud Veterans’ Hospital Building 50-2 and Home-Based Primary Care for their constant excellence in service and unfaltering kindness to our father in his final months.