Lee McGinty

Lee McGinty, well-known organist in the Chicagoland area, age 70, passed away on December 5, 2020 at home in Downers Grove. Lee was born June 23, 1950, in Fort Worth, Texas to Woodrow McGinty and Edith Martin McGinty. She graduated from Chisholm Trail Academy in Keene, TX in 1968. She attended Southwestern Union College where she studied organ with Dr. Wilbur Schramm and William Bromme. Lee graduated from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in 1987 with a degree in organ performance. She studied organ with Dr. Roberta Gary and Guy Bovet, and choral conducting with Dr. John Leman. Her first organist position was for a Methodist church in Cleburne, TX in 1966 when she was sixteen. She played for churches around Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. She was an active member of the Houston Symphony Chorus, where her love for choirs and choral music flourished. While attending school full time at CCM, Lee also worked full time at Kettering, OH, Seventh Day Adventist Church as the Minister of Music. In 1987 Lee moved to the Chicago area. She worked in the “business world” as a mortgage banker, becoming Vice President at JP Morgan Chase. At the same time, she was organist at the Hinsdale Covenant Church. During 1990-2020 Lee successively was organist at Community United Methodist in Naperville, First Presbyterian in Libertyville, organist and music director at Community Presbyterian in Clarendon Hills, and most recently at St. Timothy Lutheran in Naperville. Lee was greatly sought after as an accompanist and recitalist with area churches and school districts, and worked as accompanist for the Cardinal Chorus of North Central College from 2017-2019. Over the years she played and worked with West Suburban Symphony and Christ Church, Oak Brook. She was music director for shows with Community Players and Summer Place in Naperville, and Theater of Western Springs, and was music director and conductor of the Singing Men of Oak Brook, 2017-2018. Lee is predeceased by her father and mother Woodrow W. McGinty and Edith McGinty, and is survived by sister Leslie Casper, nephew Richard Casper, cousins Linda Jungman and Mike Jungman and other cousins and a multitude of friends. Any charitable donations should go to Lee’s favorite: Humane Society of North Texas, 1840 E Lancaster Ave, Fort Worth, TX, 76103; www.hsnt.org. A memorial service will follow in the spring or summer of 2021.

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