McGehee Porter III

Lee McGehee Porter III, 87, died peacefully on September 24, 2026, at Beacon Place. He was born May 30, 1939, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Josephine and Lee McGehee Porter, Jr. McGehee attended Indian Springs School, and during his high school years, he proudly achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He attended Georgia Tech, earning a degree in Industrial Engineering. He later received an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro as a member of the inaugural class of the Bryan School of Business.

After college, McGehee served three years in the United States Navy aboard the USS Newport News as a gunnery officer, traveling throughout the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, as well as being involved in the Cuban Blockade.

McGehee began his career in banking in Atlanta, Georgia, where he met the love of his life, Jane Darden. They married and later moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1966, where he began a long career with Blue Bell Industries. In 1983, McGehee joined the Wall Street firm Weiss, Peck & Greer in New York City, where he later became a partner. After the partners sold the firm, McGehee and his dear friend, Stephen Weiss, finished their careers together at Neuberger Berman. He retired in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Above all, McGehee was devoted to his family and was immensely proud of them. He was predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his wife of nearly 62 years, Jane; their children, Lee (Michelle), Darden (Richard Grant), and Whit (Kathleen); seven grandchildren, McGehee, Claibourne, Porter (Max Burgess), Peyton (Camp Fraleigh), Clay, Carver, and Mason; and two great-grandchildren, Cooper Fraleigh and Bowen Burgess. He is also survived by his brother, Kip (Margaret), and his two nieces, Jeanne Monk and Margaret Moore Porter.

McGehee cherished his time with his running and gym friends in Greensboro and New York City, as well as with the “Lounge Lizards” in Ponte Vedra Beach. His family will remember his intelligence, adventurous spirit, humor, and deep love for them.

The family will be eternally grateful for the care and love the Well-Spring staff provided to McGehee.

After a private service, the family invites you to a Celebration of Life reception from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on October 23 at the Well-Spring Special Occasion Room, 4100 Well Spring Drive, Greensboro, NC, with remarks at 3:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Well-Spring Employee Financial Assistance Fund, 4100 Well Spring Drive, Greensboro, NC 27410.