Born in 1938, McNamee grew up in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts and History from the University of Saskatchewan (1961), he attended Ohio State University and obtained a Master of Arts in Painting and Art History (1963) and a Master of Fine Arts in painting, history, and philosophy (1966).

McNamee returned to the University of Saskatchewan to teach for the Department of Art in 1966. He worked as Administrative Assistant to the Head of the Department under Eli Bornstein and Michael Swann. He left the University in 1985 in order to establish his own business, doing independent architectural design. McNamee is best known for his structurist reliefs. He passed away in 1994.