Peg McKamey Bean of The McKameys dies, service Friday

Donna Smith
·2 min read

Peg McKamey Bean, the longtime mainstay of the awarding-winning Southern gospel group, The McKameys, died Tuesday, Dec. 26, after suffering a stroke earlier this month.

Beneath a photo showing Peg with her arms outstretched, The McKameys announced on their Facebook page: "We want to let everyone know that early this morning Ms. Peg went home to be with her Lord and is now in the presence of The One she sang about for so long."

Peg McKamey Bean
Peg McKamey Bean

The Clinton, Tennessee-based gospel group's final concert was Nov. 23, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The group that began in 1954 as a trio with sisters Dora, Peg and Carol McKamey evolved through the decades, but Peg McKamey Bean and her husband Ruben, who she married several years after the group formed, remained through The McKameys' final concert. Joining them were their daughters Sheryl Farris and Connie Fortner and her husband and son, Roger, and Eli Fortner. The Fortners have continued singing as McKamey Legacy.

Among The McKameys' most popular songs are “God On The Mountain,” “I Will Trust You Lord,” “Right On Time,” “God Is So Good To Me,” “It Satisfies Me,” and “Do You Know How It Feels.” The McKameys had more than 30 songs that hit No. 1.

Peg, known for holding a Bible and handkerchief while singing on stage, was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in 2016. Her husband of 64 years, Ruben, was inducted in 2019. In 2022, she was inducted into the Tri-State Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Peg won the Singing News Fan Award for Favorite Female Singer seven times (1989-1994, 2002) and was the recipient of the Norcross-Templeton Award in 2011, according to a story posted to the Singing News website that carried a headlined saying she had been "promoted to Heaven."

The funeral service is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 29, at Second Baptist Church in Clinton, according to The McKameys' Facebook post. Visitation is from 4 to 7 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Missions at Second Baptist Church, 777 Public Safety Lane, Clinton, TN 37716. Her obituary can be found on the website for Holley-Gamble Funeral Home in Clinton.

This story included information from a past story in The Shelby (N.C.) Star.

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Peg McKamey Bean of The McKameys dies, service Friday