Florence Lavina McKee, 102, of Lansing, Iowa, passed away on Saturday, November 14, 2020 at Thornton Manor Lansing, Iowa. She was born in the Lansing area on January 18, 1918 to Dwight and Bessie (Darnell) Van Brocklin. Florence attended Lansing area schools through the ninth grade.
Florence was united in marriage with Arthur McKee December 23, 1935. Five children were born to this union; Harris, Keith, Thomas, Gary, and Phyllis. Florence was a devoted housewife and always made sure her family was well taken care of.
Florence enjoyed gardening, playing euchre, socializing with family and friends, and cooking. Nobody left Florence’s house with an empty stomach. She had baked goods on the counter at all times. She took pride in her ability to cook the famous Norwegian dish, “Lefse”. Florence had also made a homemade smoker out of an old refrigerator. She would use this smoker to cook catfish her husband Arthur would catch. She was a resident at Thornton Manor since January, 2015.
Florence is survived by her daughter, Phyllis Dymond of Sun City West, Arizona; fifteen grandchildren; twenty great-grandchildren; seven great-great grandchildren; two great-great-great grandchildren; one brother, Robert (Kathryn) Van Brocklin of Lansing, Iowa; and daughters-in-law, Ruth McKee of Long Beach, California and Chris McKee of Lansing, Iowa.
Florence is preceded in death by her husband, Arthur McKee in 1993; her children, Harris (Bonita) McKee, Keith McKee, Thomas McKee and Gary McKee; parents, Dwight and Bessie Van Brocklin; siblings, Clarence Van Brocklin, Ray Van Brocklin, Bud Van Brocklin, Ada Boltz, Phyllis Hammel and Joyce Shogren; and her granddaughter, Cheryl Burner.
There will be a private family graveside service held on Wednesday, November 18, 2020.
The family will also be having a Public Celebration of Life at a later date.
The family of Florence would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Thornton Manor for the great care they provided Florence over the past six years.
Thornburg-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Lansing, Iowa is helping the family with arrangements.