Bonnie Gae Steele McGhee, a lifelong resident of Provincetown, died Christmas Eve morning at Cape Cod Hospital following a lengthy battle with renal failure. Ms. McGhee was 75 years old.
A devotee of Provincetown's history as well as her family's, Ms. McGhee chronicled both, painstakingly and in longhand. She also had a large collection of old Provincetown postcards which she kept in several scrapbooks. Ms. McGhee loved to relate her knowledge of the town to anyone who asked. As a result of her interest in local history, Ms. McGhee served on the Provincetown Board of Library Trustees for several years.
Another of her many projects was a family tree in which she traced her family's ancestry several generations back to the island of Pico in the Azores. She then presented her siblings with lovingly hand written copies of the family tree as Christmas presents.
During her adult life, Mc. McGhee worked as a sales clerk in several local stores, most notably the former Emporium. Her final position was as a member of the Provincetown parking department. She retired in 2015 due to her declining health.
She has been remembered by colleagues and friends alike as a sweet and cheerful person who never had an unkind thing to say about anyone.
A 1963 graduate of Provincetown High School, Ms. McGhee, a tall, blue-eyed blond, was named in her senior year Miss Portuguese American Civic League and Cape Cod High School Queen of the PTA Easter Ball. During her high school years, she was an honor student, a cheerleader and a member of the year book staff. Following high school, she attended Cape Cod Community College.
A devoted cat lover, Ms. McGhee often fed many feral cats in her neighborhood, many of whom she adopted and was able to tame. Ms. McGhee also loved to paint and had showings of her work at the Truro Council on Aging.
The daughter of the late Alden D. "Pete" and Clodtilda D. "Tillie" Medeiros Steele, Ms. McGhee was born at home in Provincetown, May 21, 1945. She was delivered by Dr. Daniel Hiebert at the property now owned by Moe VanDereck and his wife. Ms. McGhee discovered years later, when she needed her birth certificate for a passport, that Dr. Hiebert had incorrectly recorded her birth as May 20, instead of May 21.
She is survived by her brother Duane A. Steele; her best friend and faithful companion Eddie Jason; her cat Ziggy; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, Ms. McGhee was preceded in death by her sisters Rose Steele Stephan, Lana Steele Argir and Michelle Steele Kender.
A funeral service will be held at a later date.