Southern Miss mourns the passing of former Southern Miss women’s basketball head coach Joye Lee-McNelis, who died Tuesday.
McNelis, 63, witnessed over 1,000 games of Lady Eagle Basketball as a student-athlete, assistant coach and later as head coach for 21 seasons. In her 34-year coaching career, she amassed over 550 career wins and retired as one of the game’s greatest coaches.
A member of the Southern Miss Legends Club, the Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame, recipient of the 2024 Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award, the 2025 USA TODAY Mississippi Woman of the Year and, most recently, an inductee to the Memphis Sports Hall of Fame, McNelis was well decorated on and off the court. Over the last eight years, her battle with cancer showed her indominable spirit in the face of the adversity and served as an inspiration to countless individuals around the country under the #McNelisStrong banner.
McNelis was born to Mr. Louis Dempsey Lee, Sr., and Mrs. Nell Iris Lee Lee on June 2, 1962, in Leetown, Miss. She is preceded in death by her parents, her grandparents and many other aunts and uncles. She is survived by her brothers Louis Dempsey Lee, Jr., and Rico (Trudy) Alphus Lee; her husband Dennis McNelis; her daughter Whitney (Michael) McNelis Wilkinson; her son Connor Lee McNelis; and her two grandchildren Emma Grace Wilkinson and Caroline Lee Wilkinson. She was a dedicated member of Temple Baptist Church in Hattiesburg.
In lieu of flowers and in honor of her fight against lung cancer, the family asks for donations to her personal charity, the Forrest General Patient Navigation Fund. To donate, click HERE. Friends and family interested in sharing their memories of Coach McNelis, including photos, can email [email protected].
The McNelis family would also like to thank the countless health care professionals of the Forrest Health Cancer Center, Forrest General Hospital and the Asbury Hospice House.
Visitation will take place on Friday, June 27, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Temple Baptist Church (5220 Old Highway 11, Hattiesburg, MS 39402) in Hattiesburg. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, June 28, at 1:30 p.m. at Temple Baptist as well, followed by a graveside service at Lee’s Chapel Baptist Church No. 2 (27015 Leetown Road, Picayune, MS 39466) with Moore Funeral Service of Hattiesburg overseeing both services.
