Terry Megee's passing leaves a void in his community

The passing of Terry Megee, 67, on July 27 has left a huge void in Sussex County, especially in his hometown of Georgetown.

Owner of the family business Megee Motors since 1992, he had an unwavering support of his community through sports, and commitments to service organizations and endeavors. His support of community events and projects will be part of his legacy for years to come.

But Megee also had a strong connection to Lewes, serving on the Beebe Healthcare board of directors, and most recently as board president.

“He spent countless hours celebrating and leading our local nonprofit community hospital as chairman of board of directors, and many years fundraising and on the board of the Beebe Medical Foundation as well. I believe the term servant leadership was coined to describe Terry’s dedication to the people of Sussex County,” said Christian Hudson, former board president.

“He loved celebrating our Beebe nurses. He tirelessly attended graduations and awards ceremonies, and you could always find him at the center of the room in every fundraiser busy making fast friends of complete strangers,” Hudson added.

His love of Georgetown and Sussex County transferred to his family. Nearly all of his family and relatives live in Georgetown, Millsboro and Rehoboth Beach.

“Terry was the embodiment of a true Sussex County gentleman and diplomat. He loved his family, he was a great businessman, an avid outdoorsman, and he volunteered his time and energy volunteering and serving his community,” Hudson said.

Megee served on the Indian River School District board in the 1980s, was a member of Grace United Methodist Church and supported Georgetown Little League, where he was Volunteer of the Year in 1996. He was also one of the founders of Georgetown youth basketball and the Sussex Pines Swim Team.

In the 1970s, his leadership skills led a campaign to build a youth group facility, which is now the home of Possum Point Players, and he was instrumental in remodeling the Georgetown Boys & Girls Club, where he served as president and was the first recipient of the Great Futures Award.

Accolades for Megee mentioned time and again are for his devotion to his wife Vanessa, children Lindsay and Matt, and especially his granddaughters, Estella, Andi Mae and Vanessa Jo, all of Georgetown.

A devoted community leader

Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Linda Price said Megee's passing is like a bright, shining light extinguished in the community.

“When he was passionate about something, he was all in. It was never about personal accolades. What he did came purely from the heart,” she said.

She served on Rotary and the Boys & Girls Club board with him, and was branch manager of Fulton Bank when he was on the board of directors.

“It's such an unbelievable loss, and the biggest loss is for the kids. He was such a great mentor at the Boys & Girls Club,” she said. “To him, it was always about the kids and to have a safe place for them to be be.”

She said whatever the club needed, he never said no. “If it meant money, he put money in, and if it meant time, he would go all in with his time,” she said.

She said Megee was working on plans to build a new club in Georgetown so programs could be expanded and more young people could attend.

“It's sad that he will not get to see his plans come to fruition,” Price said.

She said the Rotary motto of service above self was personified in Megee. 

“He never thought about himself. It was always about what he could do to help others,” she said.

Price said if you looked at his Facebook page, you could learn how important his family was to him, with numerous photos with his kids and grandchildren.

Megee Motors' numerous TV commercials always featured his family and the lifestyle they all enjoyed.

“He and his high school sweetheart Vanessa believed in each other, and growing and supporting their family and doing what was right for their community,” Price said. “Not only did he spend time running the family business extremely well, he also wanted a place for his family to work. His business is a legacy for his family.”

Megee also had a love for the outdoors and liked to share his passion for hunting with others. Many memories were made at his hunting camp over the years. “Rotary had many parties there, and he always paid for everything,” Price said.

The Beebe connection

Price said Dr. David Tam, president and CEO of Beebe Healthcare, attended a chamber economic development committee meeting the day after Megee's passing. 

He talked about Megee’s passion as a board member to raise funds to support Beebe programs and said he was instrumental in raising funds for the new Specialty Surgical Hospital off Route 24.

“I will miss Terry’s kindness, compassion and leadership at Beebe Healthcare. 

“He was my friend, supporter and mentor. I will miss him terribly, and Rebecca and I will keep Vanessa and the Megee family in our prayers,” Tam said.