Mack Luther Dees Jr. was born on August 10, 1920 in Desoto County, Mississippi. He was born to Mack Luther Dees Sr. (March 15, 1891-April 10, 1954; born to John Dees and Letha Head in Desoto County) and Mildred Dees (neé Radford; 1915-unknown). Dees Jr,'s parents married in 1920 when his mother was 15 and his father was 28, but eventually divorced. Dees Sr. and Mildred had three other children together: Ida Elizabeth Dees (1926-January 19, 1999), Reeford Wesley "Ray" Dees (October 12, 1927-November 17, 1974), and Harold Barksdale Dees (January 20, 1931- August 29, 1980). He also had a brother named Thomas (ca. 1922-).
The Dees family lived on a farm owned by Dees Sr. in Desoto County at the time of the 1930 Census. Dees Jr. and all of his siblings attended school in Desoto County at some point. Mack completed one year of high school, but eventually dropped out to help his father on their farm. Thomas completed the seventh grade and Ida completed her first year of high school. Neither of Dees Jr.'s parents graduated high schoo. Mildred completed the eighth grade, and Dees Sr. completed the fourth grade. Dees Sr. died on April 13, 1954 as a result of a dissecting aneurysm and a thoracic aorta. He died in a VA hospital in Memphis, Tennessee after being there for forty-seven days. He was buried at Trinity Cemetery in Eudora, Mississippi. He was buried there along with his sons Reeford and Harold and his brother John Lee Dees. |
Dees Family Military History
In addition to Dees Jr's military experience, Dees Sr, Reeford, and Harold have military history as well. Dees Sr. was a World War I veteran. He served from September 5, 1917 until June 23, 1919. Harold fought in the Korean War. He enlisted on March 2, 1951 and was released on February 13, 1953. Reeford enlisted in the Air Force on December 18, 1945 and was released on August 2, 1949. Dees Jr's uncle John Lee "Johnnie" Dees (June 22, 1888-January 27, 1961) served in World War I alongside his brother. He was Private First Class and served in the 115th Infantry Regiment. Johnnie enlisted on March 5, 1918 and was discharged on June 6, 1919. He received a Purple Heart for his service.