Joseph Oliver "Jody" McGehee

Jody McGehee passed away surrounded by loved ones following complications of cardiac arrest.  He is survived by his love, Stacey Jackson, his parents, Jeanne and Lannie McGehee, his brother and sister in law, Ryan and Charlena (Aumiller) McGehee, his nieces, Roxanna and Carolynna McGehee, and by Ciara Jackson, for whom Jody loved as a granddaughter. His aunt and uncles, Sharon and Charlie Williams and Les McGehee, survive him as do numerous cousins and friends.  Last, but not least, his loyal dog, Haylee, remains on watch at home.

He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Everett and Connie McGehee and Marie Waggoner Butterworth, all of whom we have lost in the last eight years and all of whom helped shape him.  

Born in Madison and raised primarily in Goodlettsville, Jody showed a keen interest as a small child in figuring out how things worked and would take apart anything he could get his hands on, whether a tricycle or a tape recorder. It was a joy to watch him hit a baseball at Moss Wright Park, but it was his interest in mechanics that grew. His pride and joy as a teenager was his 1976 Pontiac Ventura which he put in a new engine himself.  After high school he went on to graduate top of his class from the Nashville Auto Diesel College.  In his youth, he wanted more than working a nine to five job and enlisted in the Air Force where he served stints overseas in Saudi Arabia helping to keep America’s F-15 Eagle fighter jets in the air.  As a man he was a craftsman and earned a living running his construction company, Strike Eagle Construction. He took pride in his work and in working alongside his father, Lannie.

He always had an eye for the weather, watching storms on the front porch, and loved eating his mother’s salsa and pickles. As he got older he became more interested in gardening and became a fair hand at growing numerous vegetables and attending a Koi Pond at his and Stacey’s home. He was raised in the congregation of Walkers United Methodists Church where only weeks before his death he and other members and friends of the church replaced the water-line. Jody had a generous, unassuming, and helpful nature that will be missed by those who knew him.  In death, he gave more of himself so that perfect strangers might live on through organ donation. We celebrate his nature, his sense of humor, and will miss his check-in phone calls and more.

Visitation will be held Saturday, December 30, from 11am until 1pm at Walker United Methodist Church 2947 Lower Walkers Creek Road, Goodlettsville, TN  37072.  A Celebration of Jody's life will take place at 1 pm at the church.  Burial with military graveside honors will follow in the Historic Spring Hill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jody's name to one of the follow:

Alvin C. York VA Medical Center

CDCE 135 Volunteer Services

3400 Lebanon Pike

Murfreesboro, TN  37129

or

Wounded Warrior Project