IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Willis Lester
Lee
June 24, 1924 – March 5, 2013
Obituary
Willis Lester Lee, 88, Cleveland, Missouri, passed away Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at the Kansas City Hospice House in Kansas City, Missouri. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, March 9 at the Atkinson Funeral Home in Harrisonville, Missouri. Visitation will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, March 8 at the funeral home. Burial will be in Freeman Cemetery, Freeman, Missouri. Memorial contributions may be made to Dolan/West Dolan Fire District, P.O. Box 358, Freeman, MO 64746.
Willis was born June 25, 1924 in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Lester and Ella (Rhoads) Lee. He grew up in Kansas City and was a 1941 graduate of Central High School, Kansas City. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps "V12" program and attended Purdue University achieving a degree in Civil Engineering. He served in both WWII and the Korean Conflict achieving the rank of Captain. He was one of the few remaining "China Marines" having served in Tin Tsin, China at the close of WWII with the first Marine Division.
Willis was a professional civil engineer and pioneered the development of rural water and sewer systems throughout the State of Missouri. He purchased E T Archer and Company, consulting engineers, in 1954 and continued his practice up to his death as vice president of Universal Asset Management. He was always quick to volunteer his time and talent to worthy causes, including serving as a consulting engineer to the construction of the new Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Harrisonville, Missouri.
Willis married Dorothy Allin in 1949 in Kansas City, Missouri. They were happily married for 64 years. He enjoyed reading, particularly history. He was a dedicated patriarch of the Lee family, involved personally in the lives of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, rarely missing any important occasion that impacted their lives.
Willis was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Geraldine Keith and one granddaughter, Abby Lyon. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; his children, Gary Lee (Robin), Shauna Lyon (Mike), Greg Lee (Karen) and Dan Lee (Brenda); 14 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; his brother, Larry Lee (Lynn) and a large and close-knit extended family.
Willis's life was full of achievement, adventure, love and fun. The legacy he left all he touched was one of integrity, honesty, hard work and caring.
Willis was born June 25, 1924 in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Lester and Ella (Rhoads) Lee. He grew up in Kansas City and was a 1941 graduate of Central High School, Kansas City. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps "V12" program and attended Purdue University achieving a degree in Civil Engineering. He served in both WWII and the Korean Conflict achieving the rank of Captain. He was one of the few remaining "China Marines" having served in Tin Tsin, China at the close of WWII with the first Marine Division.
Willis was a professional civil engineer and pioneered the development of rural water and sewer systems throughout the State of Missouri. He purchased E T Archer and Company, consulting engineers, in 1954 and continued his practice up to his death as vice president of Universal Asset Management. He was always quick to volunteer his time and talent to worthy causes, including serving as a consulting engineer to the construction of the new Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Harrisonville, Missouri.
Willis married Dorothy Allin in 1949 in Kansas City, Missouri. They were happily married for 64 years. He enjoyed reading, particularly history. He was a dedicated patriarch of the Lee family, involved personally in the lives of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, rarely missing any important occasion that impacted their lives.
Willis was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Geraldine Keith and one granddaughter, Abby Lyon. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; his children, Gary Lee (Robin), Shauna Lyon (Mike), Greg Lee (Karen) and Dan Lee (Brenda); 14 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; his brother, Larry Lee (Lynn) and a large and close-knit extended family.
Willis's life was full of achievement, adventure, love and fun. The legacy he left all he touched was one of integrity, honesty, hard work and caring.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Willis Lester Lee, please visit our flower store.
Willis Lester Lee's Guestbook
Visits: 0
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors