Lee Lawrence Willis II

Lee L. Willis II of Tallahassee passed away on Friday, December 11, 2009, at the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. He was 65 years old. Lee was born on February 26, 1944, in Tallahassee, Florida. His mother was Helen Ausley Willis and his father was long-time Leon County Circuit Judge Ben C. Willis, Sr. Lee is survived by his wife of 43 years, Kathy; his son, Lee L. Willis III and daughter-in-law, Breeda of Stevens Point, Wisconsin; his daughter, Helen Willis Escobar and son-in-law, Javier Escobar, of Tallahassee; and five grandchildren, JT, George, Parlin, Grady and Roisin. He is also survived by his younger brother, Ben C. Willis, Jr. and sister-in-law, Tricia, of Tallahassee. Lee was graduated from Leon High School in 1962, where he played basketball, and the University of Florida in 1966. While attending Florida, he was President of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and a member of Florida Blue Key. He is a member of the University of Florida Hall of Fame and Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities. After college, Lee served two years in the United States Army. He was honorably discharged as a First Lieutenant in 1968 and received the Army Commendation Medal for his service. Upon his discharge from the Army, Lee attended the Florida State University College of Law, receiving a Juris Doctorate with High Honors in 1971. He was admitted to the Florida Bar and began practicing law that same year at the law firm of Ausley, McMullen, McGehee, Carothers and Proctor, which is now Ausley & McMullen. Lee practiced his entire 38-year career at the Ausley Law Firm and was recognized across America for his outstanding and loyal representation of regulated electric, gas and telephone utilities. He represented Tampa Electric Company on regulatory matters his entire career. His other major clients included Central Telephone Company of Florida, City Gas Company, Alltel Florida and Vista United Telecommunications. Lee was named one of the Best Lawyers in America in the area of energy regulation. He was considered the Dean of utility regulatory lawyers in Florida at the time of his death. Scores of utility executives and regulatory lawyers benefited from his wise and thoughtful counsel. His other professional accomplishments included service on the Board of Governors of the Young Lawyers Section of the Florida Bar (1974-1979), the Executive Council of the Young Lawyer's Division of the American Bar Association (1977-78), and the Electricity Committee of the Public Utility Section of the American Bar Association. Although Lee was a dedicated professional, his interests, involvement and influence extended well beyond the practice of law. Lee joined the Exchange Club of Tallahassee in 1971 and was a member until his death. He served as the President of the Leon County Heart Association (1976-77), on the FSU College of Law Board of Directors (1976) and on the FSU College of Law Dean Selection Committee (1983-84). He attended St. John's Episcopal Church in Tallahassee and later Trinity Episcopal Church in Apalachicola. Lee was also an avid preservationist, genealogist, and historian. Lee and Kathy restored the historic Grady-Hodges home in Apalachicola, which was built in 1873, by one of Kathy's ancestors, Henry Grady. They also restored and ran the Grady Market on Water Street in Apalachicola, where Henry Grady and his brother John managed J.E. Grady & Co., a ship's outfitter and general store. Lee spent considerable time and effort collecting information about his relatives and ancestors (Willis, Ausley, Hodges, Grady, Parlin, Core, Saxon, Bates) and artifacts from the history of Apalachicola. He was writing a tribute to the World War II service of Joseph Harper Hodges, Jr. and the 11th Field Artillery Battalion at the time of his death. He was a dedicated father and grandfather, who could often be found beaming with pride at a youth basketball or football game or traveling to take his grandchildren to a sporting event. The family will receive friends from 5 until 7 p.m. on Sunday, December 13, 2009, at Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 700 Timberlane Road. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any remembrances be made to Grace Mission Episcopal, 303 West Brevard Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301, or Goodwood Museum and Gardens, 1600 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. A memorial service and internment will take place at Trinity Episcopal Church in Apalachicola at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home, Tallahassee, FL.