John Wallace Lee

He loved music and played the saxophone. He played in the 1984 Summer Olympics Marching Band and spent many years in college so he could play in the band. Every family birthday started with Dad playing “Happy Birthday” on his soprano saxophone.

John loved the outdoors and spent many vacations exploring Catalina Island, Yosemite National Park and the Grand Canyon (Havasupai). John taught his children to love camping, hiking, and exploring the outdoors.

He found the love of his life when he married Laurie Sue Lott June 4, 1988. She brought with her four children from a previous marriage. He later adopted them and added three more birth children to his family. He was a wonderful husband and daddy.

A jack-of-all-trades, Dad enjoyed working with his hands. When he wasn’t at his day job, Dad took on remodeling projects at home and for people in the community. There wasn’t a house Dad lived in that didn’t get an extensive makeover.

He was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Over the years, he served as a scoutmaster, a ward librarian, a Sunday school teacher and as a counselor in the Elder’s Quorum.

John is survived by his wife, Laurie Lee of Apple Valley; his children Jonathan (Brandy) Lee of Greeley, CO; Trevor (Maurine) Lee of Kremmling, CO; Mark (Janet) Lee of Dallas, TX; Sonja (Seth) DeCato of Clearfield, UT; Heidi Lee of Apple Valley, CA; Robert Jeffery Lee of Gresham, OR; and Karen Hanna (Nathan) Mecham of Provo, UT. He has 14 beloved grandchildren who call him Papa.

John is also survived by his mother Kathleen Hansen of Apple Valley, CA and his father, Wallace (Christine) Lee of Shadow Hills, CA. He is also survived by his brothers Thomas (Mary) Lee of Utica, NY; Robert Lee of Van Nuys, CA; his sister Kathy (John) Wales of Hesperia, CA. His sister Bonny McDonald and his grandson, George Wallace Decklin DeCato, precede him in death.

The funeral will be Saturday May 7, 2016 at 11 a.m. in the LDS Navajo building, located at 12242 Navajo Rd, Apple Valley, CA 92308. The family will meet with visitors 10 to 10:45 a.m.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, May 11, 2016 at 2 p.m. in the LDS Hibbard 5th Ward building located at 2001 N. 3000 W. Rexburg, ID 83440. John’s ashes will be buried in Sugar City, Idaho.