HEBRON — Family and friends remember Scott McKee as a great guy and a family man, supportive of his wife and three children.
McKee, 37, died Saturday of massive blunt force trauma at the scene of a neighborhood party in the town's Brookwood subdivision. Authorities said he placed a fireworks mortar into the tube when it exploded prematurely, and it struck him in the head.
A second man, who was standing near McKee and was seriously injured, was airlifted to a Chicago hospital, police said.
Lisa Caccavale, a friend of the McKee family, especially McKee's wife Stephanie, said he supported his wife's passion for running.
"She joined the Calumet Striders about three years ago and really enjoyed running," Caccavale said. "He would come to the events and bring the kids to watch her run. They'd be standing at the end of the race so they could cheer their mom on.
"We are all really sad about what happened to Scott. They live in a very family-oriented neighborhood. The neighbors often get together and hang out with their kids. There are several children in the neighborhood, and hanging out with their kids and the other families is pretty normal for them," Caccavale said.
She also said McKee worked hard. McKee worked at Methodist Hospital as a systems administrator, and before that he was a former programmer at Netnitco.
"Scott was a very hardworking man, and he supported his family in every way," she said. "Stephanie works part time at the Southlake YMCA. He was a great father to their kids. Their kids are adorable, and the oldest girl is getting into running. Stephanie also began coaching a Girls on the Run team."
Methodist Hospital spokeswoman Evelyn Morrison said the thoughts and prayers of the Methodist Hospital staff go out to his family. "Methodist Hospital is praying for his family," she said.
Hebron schools Superintendent Nate Kleefisch said all three McKee children — two girls and a boy — attend Hebron Elementary School.
"It's a sad event," Kleefisch said. "My heart goes out to the family. My thoughts and prayers go out to them. Hebron is a small community, and this incident has touched everyone. We're going to let the family have some quiet time before we reach out to them for any assistance they may need.
"There were several other neighborhood children out there who witnessed this tragedy. When school begins, we plan to have counselors at the schools to talk to the children. That's the great thing about the Hebron community; when something like this happens, we all pull together. It doesn't make it any better, but it lets the family know that we care," Kleefisch said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family, and can be reached at gofundme.com/stephanie-mckee. As of 6:15 p.m. Monday, the page had raised $18,197 of a $25,000 goal. Friends also set up a meal train for the family where people offer to make meals to save Stephanie McKee from having to deal with that responsibility during this difficult time.