Dear friends and family- Lee, Dad, Pop, Paw Lee, Uncle Lee, brother-in-law, precious husband, protector of the many he loved and the very best of friends, left us as peacefully as he lived every day. Pop passed in the early hours of June 3rd, 2021 in his sleep, and with his loving wife Margret by his side as she had been for 34 years. He was in no pain and most importantly, he was at peace with the Lord. Those who knew Pop knew he was blessed with the gifts of kindness, compassion, and a sincerely generous spirit. He loved everyone in a way that very few could. He was a gentle soul who gave all he had to whoever needed his time or resources. He was the very proud and loving father to 6, Paw-Lee to 14 grandchildren and 8 1/2 great-grandchildren (+ one on the way), and loving uncle to many nieces and nephews. He was also a loving friend to countless and a caring father figure to so many others. Pop seemed to make meaningful connections with those he met, and many considered him to be family, or a second dad. Although his Mother and Daddy passed years ago, he was a loving son who missed them daily and spoke of them often. He shared a thousand stories of Kentucky and of his parents’ hard work as janitors at his school, and kind gestures to everyone from neighbors to strangers. He was the youngest of three boys and loved his brothers dearly. Russel and Donald remained a huge part of him until the very end. He looked forward to every phone call he had with them.
Pop was a Navy Veteran who sailed the seas as a very young man. He was known as the “Oil King” who controlled the usage of oil on a Navy ship larger than he’d ever imagined as a barefoot boy fishing on the banks of a pond in western Kentucky.
After designing for Kimball piano company, where he “procured” materials to hand-craft a new baby bed for his first born, he designed pipe at Texas Gas in Owensboro Kentucky then ventured out to south Louisiana because he couldn’t afford to fill the propane tank for the winter back home. For the next 40+ years, he was a proud PIPER and one of the best piping designers to ever “sling lead” in Baton Rouge. For many years he brought two trays of homemade biscuits and a jar of homemade jelly to work every morning. He always saved biscuits for the cleaning crew because he understood they were just as important as everyone else.
Pop was an LSU fan who also enjoyed woodworking, Hallmark Christmas movies (even in the summer time), bird watching (especially the hummingbirds), kittens, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at midnight, Mississippi Mud Pie, Carrot Cake, fresh figs and strawberries, Strawberry shortcake, strawberry jelly (and did I mention he really loved Strawberries?), Louis Lamar western novels, good BBQ, love stories with happy endings and songs that told a heart-warming story. He loved a fresh tomato sandwich and enjoyed growing his own tomatoes. He enjoyed a lot of things, but garlic never made that list… His passion for many, many years was writing. And at a minimum, he was a talented and colorful storyteller at heart which helped him keep a sharp mind until the very end. His short stories were published in many magazines over the years. He also published many books he was very proud of. He’d be happy to know his signed copies are now highly sought-after collector’s items…Good job Pop. Hope I’m in 30% for the free advertising...
A huge thank you to those who considered our Dad a friend and loved him the way we did. And very special thanks to Sally Graugnard (with Bridgeway Hospice Care) who showed such wonderful compassion for a brand-new friend. I hope your kindness can be an example to all. Sometimes holding someone’s hand and a simple I love you, means the world to someone, as it did to Pop. And sometimes it means even more to so many others... Thank you Sally.
A celebration of life gathering (and of course BBQ) will be held on Saturday, June 12th, 2021 at 2:00 PM at 10433 Malibu Court in Central Louisiana. All are welcomed to join us. If you are able, please confirm attendance and headcount to [email protected]. RSVP is appreciated but not required.
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