Mr. Harry Eugene McKee, age 97, of Dalton, Georgia, departed this life Thursday, April 23, 2026, at Quinton Memorial Health and Rehabilitation.

Harry was born August 29, 1928, in Shelby, North Carolina, a son of the late Horace Odell and Sarah Ora Blanton McKee. He was also preceded in death by the true love of his life and high school sweetheart, Mazie McKee, who passed away at the young age of 38 in 1969; his daughter and son-in-law, Kathy and Ralph Kiniry; and his only brother, Lowell Dean McKee, who died in 1970 at the age of 38, along with his wife, Bobbie.

Harry was a 1947 graduate of Shelby High School in Shelby, North Carolina. He went on to become a professional baseball pitcher, earning the nickname “Fireball McKee.” He was the winning pitcher for the 1945 National Champion American Legion Post #82 baseball team, defeating Trenton, New Jersey, in the American Legion World Series held in Charlotte, North Carolina. Under the leadership of Coach B.E. “Pop” Simmons, Shelby swept the tournament 3–0, securing the city’s only national title of any kind shortly after the end of World War II. In 1948, Harry signed as a free agent with the Chicago Cubs. Following his baseball career, he became a self-employed painter.

A man of quiet strength, Harry was extremely private and deeply devoted to his family, whom he loved dearly.

He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Darlene McKee of Bradenton, Florida; sisters, Racheal and Allen Whittaker of Shelby, North Carolina, and Betty McKee of Lexington, North Carolina; grandchildren, Danielle and Matt Cunningham, Shawn and Kim Kiniry, Madison and Hunter Helmig, Taylor and Jake Ramer, Ryan McKee, and Avery McKee; eight great-grandchildren; seven great-great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

No services will be held at this time. He will be laid to rest at a later date in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, alongside his beloved wife, Mazie, and his brother, Dean.

Arrangements are entrusted to Ponders Melrose Chapel, Dalton, Georgia. “Your Selected Independent Funeral Home”