Diane B. McGhee passed away on December 12, 2022, surrounded by her loving family, at her residence in Monroe, NY. She was 84 years old. Daughter of the late Everett and Ida (Burtis) Beatty, she was born on April 21, 1938, in Goshen, NY.
Diane worked for the Dept. of Agriculture, Highland Telephone Co., and at West Point; Provost Marshalls Office, Dept. of Chemistry, Dept. of Mechanics. She was instrumental in helping attendees of USMA Prep School get accepted at West Point. She helped many of the cadets get into the Medical School Program. Often she was called Mom for her generosity in helping fellow workers and Cadets in the Corps. At the end of her career she was the supervisor for the Operations Division of the Deans Office at USMA. She was a professional and lived and breathed West Point. She was also a lifelong member of the First Presbyterian Church and sang with the choir.
Despite her challenging profession, her husband, two children and little dog “Willie” were the love of her life and always came first. Diane was one of the most selfless, loving, and giving persons who ever lived. We know that the only reason she left us was because God had a very special place for her in heaven.
In 1989 Diane’s adventurous spirit led her to embark on a trip across North America with Raymond. They crossed the border at Fargo and into Regina in Canada and across to the Rockies. Up to Fairbanks on the whole length of the Alaska Highway. Then up the pipeline to the Arctic Circle and back to Anchorage. Along the way across North America she managed to knit two sweaters and write a diary detailing the whole journey.
Left to cherish her memory are her loving husband Raymond McGhee, of Monroe, NY; children: Martin McGhee, of Charlotte, NC; and Heather Gopel and her husband, Kenneth of Stamford, NY; brother Everett (Mickey) Beatty and his wife Deborah, of Houston, TX; and beloved grandson Jacob Gopel.
Services will be private, and cremation will take place at Cedar Hill Crematory in Middle Hope, NY.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties, Inc and The American Cancer Society.
Arrangements by Smith, Seaman & Quackenbush, Inc. Funeral Homes, Highland Mills, NY.
(845) 782-8185 or www.ssqfuneralhome.com.