Dottie Lee

Dorothy Pauline Lee, the last child of 11 children of the late Reverend William Edgar Lee and Myrtle Elizabeth Lee-Hall, was born August 1, 1944 in Baltimore, Maryland. God called her home on February 26, 2022.

Dorothy Pauline Lee was educated in Baltimore County Public Schools. She graduated from Hereford Jr. and Sr. High School in Parkton, Maryland. In addition, she also took some night classes at Strafford Business School, formerly located in Towson, Maryland.

As a young person, Dorothy, known to many as Dottie, Dot or George, attended Sunday school at Gough United Methodist Church in Cockeysville, Maryland. Later, she joined the church and sang on the Junior Choir as a teen. Singing was a favorite pastime, and it was nothing for her to strike up singing any song as she worked. Dottie was an Usher at an early age and Treasurer of the Usher Board. She was President of the Interdenominational Choir, under the direction of the late Reverend Bruce Haskins, whom she adored. She served as the Financial Secretary for several years. If asked to do any one job to help in the church, there was never a “No” answer. She was also a member of the Baltimore County Choir. Furthermore, she loved her church family.

She worked at Noxell Corporation (now Procter & Gamble) from 1972 to 1993 in many different departments, including Customer Service and the Finance department. She was the first African American woman to work in an administrative role. After leaving Noxell, she remained friends with many of her former co-workers and always kept in contact with them until she couldn’t anymore. After her longtime companion, Raymond Clark passed away on March 5, 1997, she took a job at Broadmead in Sparks, Maryland in 1998, a year after her mother, Myrtle Elizabeth Lee-Hall, passed away. She was there for almost 20 years. There she made lots of contacts with some of the residents. She loved to hear the history of their lives before they came to Broadmead. The residents loved to stop and chat with her, often complaining, but she always listened intently. She would also say she was watching herself grow old. Later, she also landed a job close to home at Sun Automation in Sparks, Maryland as a receptionist. It was an employee-owned company that was like family. She loved to talk about her job to her daughter, Maureen Lee and Sister Frances Lee. She stayed there until she retired on June 6, 2017. After seeing her granddaughter graduate from college, it was time for her to go. So she went to work one day and said that her work was done. It was time that she enjoyed some Dottie time doing what brought her joy. No more clocks to punch.

She always enjoyed bowling with her companion, Raymond Clark, and her daughter in her earlier years. Because Dottie always kept a positive attitude about life, she didn’t like or tolerate negative people regardless of the situation. Then there were times she enjoyed doing things by herself. She called them her “Dottie Days,” so you knew not to disturb her. She loved reading books and doing word search puzzles, etc. If Dottie had a problem, which was very seldom, no one would know otherwise because she was a private person. She lived a life she wanted to live.

Her life changed on February 25, 1993, after her Granddaughter was born. Before her granddaughter was born, she would tell folks that it was all about her Grandbaby once she came into the world. Everyone else would come second and so forth. She became her Granddaughter’s road-runner. If she had to go up and down the road twenty times a day, she would go only for Jazz. She enjoyed spending time with her immensely. They were also shopping buddies. They would leave in the daylight and come home when it was dark. Dottie always stressed education to her Granddaughter, telling her how important it was and that she could be anything she wanted to be. She always gave her encouraging words to live by.

“George” and “Slim” were all names of love given to her by her family that will forever hold her dear in their hearts.

In witness of her love and care, she leaves to cherish in her lasting memory: her Daughter, Maureen Lee; Granddaughter, Jasmine (Jazz) Blakley; Sister, Frances Lee; a Special Niece, Kimberly Gross; the Blakley Family, including Barbara Blakley (Jazz’s Other Grandmother), Paul Blakley (Jazz’s Dad) and Michael Blakley (Jazz’s Uncle); special family friends, Pat Waddy-Bell and Lynn Stokes-Gladden; and a host of other relatives and friends. Preceding her in death were Father, Rev. William Edgar Lee, Mother, Myrtle Elizabeth Lee-Hall, Brothers: Ernest Lee, Joe Lee, Leroy Lee, Louis Lee and William Lee; and Sisters: Shirley Cromwell, Helen Gross, Louise Lee and Virginia Dixon; and Grandson, Wilmont Randolph, Jr.

The family will receive friends in the Lemmon Funeral Home of Dulaney Valley, Inc. 10 W. Padonia Road (at York Road) Timonium, Maryland 21093 on Friday, March 4, 2022 from 3 to 5 PM and 7 to 9 PM. Dorothy’s life will be celebrated at the funeral home on Saturday, March 5, 2022 at 11 AM.

Interment Gough United Methodist Church.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be directed in Dorothy’s memory to Alzheimer’s Association, PO Box 4526, Lutherville, Maryland 21094