Thomas Jay Lee
Thomas Jay Lee
Born the son of
Gordon and Mary Lee on February
26, 1924 in Bedford, Indiana, Tom was preceded in death by his
parents, his sister Frances Asbell, his brother William Spencer, and his wives
Joan Wiley and Patricia (Patty Lee).
Tom’s life was defined in his twenties and thirties by a combat wound sustained in the Battle of the Bulge, followed by five years of surgery in a failed attempt to save his injured leg. As the result of his Christian faith, education at Wabash College and the University of Denver, and Joan’s commitment to him, Tom recovered from war-related disabilities. He then contributed to education as a teacher, administrator, and developer of curriculum at Divernon, Illinois schools, Colorado Academy, Ojai Valley School and the Idaho Department of Correction. Joan, daughters Elizabeth Leonardson and Lisa Ellis, and grandchildren Nicholas and Erin Leonardson and Kristina and Thomas Ellis provided a loving family foundation that enriched his personal and professional life.
Patty Lee, a friend
since grade school whom he married at age 76, filled Tom’s golden years with
delight and led him to write and publish his autobiography
Depression, War,
Disability Be Damned
:
Praise God
, to continue to play and enjoy
music and to grow in faith through study of scripture and activity in the First
Presbyterian Church of Hendersonville, North Carolina and Faith Fellowship
Church at Ardenwoods Retirement Community. Upon Patty’s death he moved back to
Boise, Idaho to be with his family and enjoy his advanced-year activities at
the Terraces of Boise.
Tom was a lifetime
member of The Military Order of the Purple Heart and the Disabled American
Veterans.
He is survived by his daughters; grandchildren and great-grandchildren; nieces, Judith McMillen and Julia Hale and their families; and first cousins Robert M. Lee, Jean Powell and Ann Rittmeyer.
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