Kortney McGee

We are deeply sorry for your loss ~ Dahl Funeral Chapel

With hearts heavy with grief, we have to say goodbye to our precious daughter #3. The world feels emptier without Kort's laughter and kind spirit. She brought so much light into the lives of so many, and we are forever grateful and honored for the moments we shared together. From the moment Kort came to live with us, we knew she was a gift to be cherished. She wanted so much to be a part of our family and even called herself daughter #3, and that's exactly who we she was. As her second parents, we cared for her as our own, until the day the Lord took her home. Through the years, Kortney grew into a beautiful person, both inside and out. Her infectious laughter had the power to bring joy and fun to everyone around her, including our family. Our hearts ache knowing we will never hear her voice again or receive those phone calls she always made on special occasions, just to say hi or to simply catch up. How she was so crazy about our french toast and beef stroganoff or how she was so articulate and would write book-long texts. We'll always remember the adventures we had together, like when she was trying to decide if our home would be a safe place to live and after finally convincing her of this, just prior to moving in, a naked man who was trying to blow up his car and was then shot by the police had blocked the entrance to our road. She had to wait for hours before moving in and also to decide if this is what we meant by being a safe place to live. Or when Kort, Jared and I so painstakingly assembled and mounted a porch swing and after standing back to look at our handiwork, realizing we had forgotten to attach the chains for hanging it. It was 5 feet off the ground and would have been quite a jump, which none of us noticed until completing the task. We just looked at each other in amazement and laughed until we cried. Though she is no longer with us and the Lord has chosen to take her home, her memory will live on in our hearts. We will remember the joy and most definitely the craziness she brought to our home. We'll always remember the kindness and the way she made us all better people for having known her. The pain of her absence will never truly go away, but we will carry her with us always—through the love we have for her, the lessons she taught us, and the love she constantly gave to all who knew her.. We love you Kort, our beautiful daughter #3, and we will miss you every day and always. Forever in our hearts. Forever in our thoughts. With all our hearts until we meet again in heaven one day. - Brian & Sue

From the first time I met Kortney in January of 2009, I knew she was different. Different from any other person I had ever met. She had this ability to see the good in any situation. As I got to know her and understand the things she had gone through and that she had dealt with, the more evident that it was that she could find the good in anything. She quickly became my best friend. We were inseparable. I would spend countless hours with her talking about each others lives and laughing with each other until we had tears in our eyes. Although we were young, we knew that we wanted to spend our lives together. In Great Falls Montana, on October 23rd 2009, we made it official. A couple of kids that didn’t know much about anything but we knew we wanted to be together. We shared so many firsts together. Our first car together, our first apartment together, our first furniture together, the list goes on. In April 2011, I hired on with the railroad and a whole new life began. One that took us from Great Falls to Whitefish, to Havre, and then to Billings. Through all of it, we had each other. She encouraged me, motivated me, and kept me going. We also started our journey with trying to grow our family. Through years of infertility, job shifts, ups and downs, she remained positive. She stayed strong in her faith and knew that whatever happened, God would get us through it. She maintained that outlook always. Kortney was someone that would be there for anyone. She would spread positivity to everyone around her and would go out of her way to make someone’s day just a little brighter. From giving out Starbucks gift cards to flight attendants whenever we traveled, to spending hours on the phone talking with friends to just let them know that she was there. Her reach expanded far and wide. One of my favorite qualities that Kortney possessed was her love for children. Although we never were able to have our own, she cared for and loved so many little ones. Through her work as a nanny, friends with children, or while working in a daycare when we first got married, her love and passion for children was truly remarkable. Kids would light up her world and she always made sure that any child she came into contact with would feel loved and cared for. Not only did that make her great at her job but it was just so amazing to watch all the time. It’s almost strange how the loss of one person out of 8 billion can make such an impact. But it truly has. Kortney was friends from people of all walks of life across many different areas of the world. Spanning from the US, to France, and even Ghana, she truly made a difference in the world. Even in the lives of those that she never got to meet. Kortney was so loved by so many people and will be missed by so many as well. One day we will all be able to be together, but until that day, she will continue to be missed. Kortney, thank you for teaching me what true love is about. Thank you for teaching me how to also love myself. I learned so much from you over the years and admired you for so many reasons. I will forever be grateful that God gave us 16 years together and 15 years of marriage. I love you Kort, -Jared

I was lucky enough to an unbreakable bond with Kortney — one forged by shared experiences, countless laughs, and the unique connection of facing life with invisible illnesses that very few truly understand. Kortney was a force of nature—a beacon of love, kindness, and resilience, even despite more pain and suffering than anyone could possibly fathom. She loved with her whole heart and never hesitated to remind those around her just how much they meant to her. Her compassion and fierce loyalty were unmatched, and she had a gift for bringing light into the darkest corners of life. She stood by me through some of the hardest times I’ve ever faced, lifting me up when I didn’t have the strength to stand on my own. But Kortney wasn’t just a support in tough times; she was the embodiment of joy and warmth. She was silly, funny, and sweet—a true ray of sunshine who could make you laugh until your sides hurt. Her generosity knew no bounds, and she gave so much of herself to EVERYONE she loved. The pain of her absence is immense, but so too is the gratitude I feel for every moment we shared. From the laughter to the tears, from the small moments to the milestones—Kortney made everything better simply by being herself. To know her was to love her, and I am so honored to have called her my friend. Though she may no longer be here physically, her beautiful spirit will live on in the memories we created, the lessons she taught me, and the love she poured into this world. -Elizabeth Lee

Grief only exists where love lived first--- and Kortney loved SO BIG! The unthinkable always happens in the midst of the most ordinary day. Everything that morning went from ordinary chaos of getting my kids off to school, to a sudden deep sting of pain. There I stood, in my kitchen hand cupped over my mouth not believing the words that were spoken, hearing Jared’s silence on the phone, ringing in my ears, grasping at the thought it wasn’t real. That was the moment I realized that there was a before and now an after with Kortney. I write this trying to encompass the “before” of Kortney and I’s friendship. Truly, no number of funny stories, words, or memories can grasp at how remarkable she was. Kortney was the friend who knew me before bills and jobs, weddings, and building out own families. Life happened so fast--and I was so lucky to have her alongside of every part of it growing up. Her friendship saw me through the most pivotal years of my life. From sleepovers, dance parties, sneaking out (sorry mom and dad if you’re listening), camping in the walmart parking lot, helping me navigate being a first time mom while my husband was deployed, talking me through post-partum depression with my second born, staying up late to catch up on the phone since we were states apart, and being such a huge part of my kids lives while making the time to always visit us. It didn’t matter what life threw at me, she was there. Kortney was always RIGHT THERE. Kortney made you feel at ease, relaxed, happy, like you grew as a human in her presence. She made you feel less heavy on the hard days, less burdened, energized, and rejuvenated, like you could stand a little taller and walk a little more freely. Her presence help soften the rough places, and heal the open wounds. She could light any path, and give your soul exactly what it would need to burn a bit brighter. It's been weeks now, and things are growing quiet. I’ve had moments where I pick up my phone to call Kortney to tell her something, and then I suddenly remember she wont answer. The people, the noise, the day in and day out of life, it all just slowly began to disappear after she passed. Losing Kortney has been one of the hardest things I now have to live with. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. But this brings me to my final phrase. Unconditional love. The one profound thing about death that we learned from Jesus dying on the cross, is that love never dies. Even though Kortney isn’t physically here, she will ALWAYS be with us in our hearts--her love for us will never die. It’s ok to grieve, to pause, and to feel the pain of Kortney’s absence. Grief and Hope is God’s tools of living in a fallen and broken world. Grief is being able to tune our hearts to what God already knows, which is: this world is not as it should be, especially when we lose the ones we love too soon. But Hope is tuning our hearts to what God has promised, which is: Life Will Not Always Be This Way. We are allowed to grieve the crazy questions like “God how long will this last, I miss her so much” because his promise is that it won’t last forever and that we will be reunited. Which leads me to the “after” friendship with Kortney. Yesterday was a hard day, and I missed her. Today was a good day filled with joy and laughter, and I missed her. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I’ll miss her. The Loss of a friend is the greatest of losses. But… after all is said and done, I know I’ll see her again. Today and every day I will celebrate you Kortney. I will have wild dance parties with my kids in your honor, and carry you with me everywhere we go! -Bri

It isn’t often that I am at a loss for words. I could spend hours telling you all how strong Kortney was, or how generous and kind and just downright good her heart was, but you all know that. Anybody who met Kortney could see those qualities within minutes of talking to her. Those of us here were just some of the lucky people who got to really get to know her. If you were fortunate enough to be loved by her, you know it was a love that never wavered. There was no distance, no time without speaking, no circumstance that could break that bond. I am blessed enough to have been able to call Kortney a friend for the past 2 decades. I am even more blessed to know that calling her a friend doesn’t do it justice. Kort was my sister. We connected deeply over her strength and wisdom than kept me grounded (and out of trouble more than once….) and my sense of adventure that she told me one time was something she craved and admired. So between the two of us, I was planning ridiculous adventures, and she was making sure they were executed without landing us in too much hot water. She would let me spin donuts in snow covered parking lots in her car before I had my license but would always switch me seats and get us out of there before cops showed up. We would spend hours in the gym, to be followed up with a well-earned, late-night snack from Taco Bell. One time, after she got her first apartment, we spent a weekend pretending to be adults and making over the top meals that neither of us could finish. After, I was cleaning up dinner and loaded the dishwasher, hit start and walked away……..for her to round the corner a few minutes later and realize I had used dish soap and not dishwasher detergent, leading to an impromptu apartment bubble party! We always counterbalanced each other so well all while never stifling each others needs because of our differences. One of the big differences was always religion for us. I can hear her now telling me I need to probably go to church and then laughing saying “yeah right, you will burst into flames at the door!!!!” While that was always a big difference for us, she never made me feel bad or feel less than for having different beliefs than her. She loved without judgement and always saw the best in people. Heck, that girl got me into Young Life and even talked me into a Youth Group All Nighter (spoiler alert, I did NOT make it all night…) but those activities were important to her, so they were important to me. Kortney and I spent the last 15 years with hundreds of miles between us but it never affected our friendship. We laughed over past memories, over the fact that we planned no less than 500 trips to see each other that never came to. We would send each other funny Instagram reels, words of encouragement when needed even though we may not have known the other needed it. One of the last things her and I talked about was a meme she sent that said “In case no one told you today, you are a good Mom. Like a really really good mom. Like a f*cking epic on another level kick ass mom”. She proceeded to tell me that she knows how hard things were at that moment but that I was killing it and she was proud of me. Little did she know, I had just had a full mom guilt meltdown and was in tears when I told her I appreciated her for the kind words. She just always knew. She never missed a Happy Birthday, a Happy Mother’s Day, or just a Hey I miss you! While I know she wouldn’t want us to sit here and be sad, I know for a fact she is so happy that some of us are getting this opportunity to connect with each other again. There is no good way to wrap this up so I will just say, thank you all for loving Kortney the way you did, and we will see her again. - Katy