K. Kimball McKee Memorial Fund

Kenneth Kimball McKee (1951-1992) is the late father of John McKee, Jane McKee, and Maggie McKee-Huey, being married to Margaret Jeffries McKee from 1975 to 1992. Kim was a native of the Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky area, being born to George Kenneth McKee (1903-1978) and Mary Jeannette Hoppenjans (1919-1960), and a longtime resident of Ryland Lakes Country Club. Kim was a graduate (1969) of Webb School of Bell Buckle, TN and later of Vanderbilt University (1973) with a degree (double major) in English and philosophy, coupled with significant graduate work completed toward a Ph.D in history. Kim married Margaret at the United States Naval Academy Chapel in the Summer of 1975, after she graduated from Vanderbilt. In 1978 Kim took over the family business, Elreco Corporation of Cincinnati, which specialized in coal mining products, a position held until 1984. From 1984-1992 Kim was president of McComas Technologies, Inc., which distributed a plant management software program called The Helper.

Those who knew Kim in his life remembered him more for his dynamic Christian faith and devotion to Jesus Christ than his business successes. In 1984, after Elreco was foreclosed on by the bank, and facing a massive financial shortfall, Kim gave his life over to the Lord. While only a Believer for nine short years, Kim and Margaret became very active in the evangelical branch of the United Methodist Church in the state of Kentucky, with the Lord as the center of both their personal and social lives. In 1986 they were instrumental in a new church plant in Florence, KY, Christ United Methodist, and Kim and Margaret quickly became the chief lay leaders. In 1986, Kim went on his first Walk to Emmaus, and was the leader of several walks, including the first men’s Walk to Emmaus in Madras, India in 1991. Kim and Margaret were also active in the Lay Witness Mission of the Methodist Church, and near the end of his life Kim was a participant in the Kairos prison ministry.

Kim always had a passion for the Bible, and most especially the Old Testament. He was the singles’ Sunday school teacher at Christ United Methodist, and also frequently taught sermons from the pulpit. Kim was most notably recognized for giving a presentation on the Passover every Spring during Holy Week, connecting the elements of the sedar with the Last Supper and crucifixion of Jesus. Both Kim and Margaret followed the ministry of the late Zola Levitt throughout the 1980s, integrating much of his teaching on the Jewish Roots of Christianity into their evangelical walk. Before being diagnosed with malignant melanoma in March 1992, Kim had received preliminary approval from the local Methodist superintendent to undertake more local pastoral responsibilities which would have led to full ordination. Among Kim’s plans were to attend classes at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati and Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY.

Kim died much too young at the age of 41. Yet, his legacy lives on in his children who have each inherited his love for the Lord and in the importance of sharing the Hebraic Roots as one shares the gospel. The survivors of the McKee family know that life must go on, as Kim would want his legacy and work to continue. Margaret remarried Mark Huey in 1994, a former classmate of Kim’s. John will finish his M.A. in Biblical Studies from Asbury Seminary in late 2008, and is now the main teacher for Outreach Israel Ministries via his website TNN Online. Jane has earned both her B.A. and M.A. at Vanderbilt. And young Maggie also has plans that her father would be proud of! With the guidance of Mark Huey, Margaret McKee Huey, and John McKee, the important work of sharing the gospel in its original Hebraic context goes on. If you have been moved by Kim’s story, or if you indeed had personally been touched by his life and testimony, please consider helping us honor his testimony and memory by carrying on where he left off.

Other Payment Methods:

Your check or money order can be made out to:
Outreach Israel Ministries
1492 Regal Court  Kissimmee, FL  34744

to make a contribution via credit card, please call us at:
(407) 933-2002