Eugene J. McKee | Business executive, 84

Eugene J. McKee, 84, former executive vice president of a commercial laboratory, died of systemic organ failure Oct. 14 at Abington Memorial Hospital. He lived in the Fox Chase neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia.

A 1941 graduate of North Catholic High School, Mr. McKee was helping to build a submarine at Cramp's shipyard on the Delaware River before he joined the Navy in 1942.

Mr. McKee's son, Francis, said he was a gunner's mate on Navy landing craft during World War II, landing troops at Omaha Beach on June 7, the second day of the Normandy invasion.

In 1953, he graduated with a major in chemistry from La Salle College. While at La Salle, he held summer jobs at Booth, Garrett & Blair, a chemical firm at 11th and Filbert Streets. After graduation, Mr. McKee spent his 42-year career with the firm, which moved to Ambler.

"He was very proud of the fact that he was only one of six chief chemists in the 150-year history of the company," his son said.

When Booth was sold to a Swiss conglomerate in the mid-1990s, Mr. McKee retired.

On Lake Nockamixon in Bucks County, and on the Delaware River, Mr. McKee raced sailboats, his largest a 22-foot Albert.

As a child, Mr. McKee gathered more than 50 autographs of baseball players, nine of them of Dizzy Dean, the legendary St. Louis Cardinals pitcher. After a while, his son said, "Dean must have recognized him," but still signed because "Dizzy was always great with the kids."

Besides his son, Mr. McKee is survived by daughters Janine Kelly and Maryanne Curran; a brother, James; and 10 grandchildren. His wife of 64 years, Dorothy, died last year.

A graveside military service took place last Friday at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.