Joy Marie Lee

Joy Marie Fringer Lee was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on February 4, 1965, to Clifford Fringer and Patricia Swanson. As an infant, she was adopted into the family of Shirley and Art Ryan, who were family friends of Cliff. She was proud of the fact she grew up with two fathers and two sets of brothers and sisters, and she loved all of her brothers, sisters and fathers the same. She had only one mom, Shirley Ryan, who made sure they were all one big happy family of five girls and two boys.

Joy was a Belmont Girl, and grew up Belmont-style with her sisters, brothers, many cousins and lifelong friends, causing all sorts of trouble but rarely getting caught. She graduated from Lincoln High School, where she met and established lifelong friendships. Growing up in a large family led Joy to develop a set of street smarts and the mantra: “You got to play the cards you are dealt,” which served her well throughout life. Joy was a longtime bartender at Joe’s Place and then Mary’s Place, and had a brief stint at O’Rourke’s before retiring from the bartending scene.

In 1989, she met Dan Lee, and the two were married in 1993. It was important to them to pay for the wedding themselves so they could have everything exactly as they wanted, so they incorporated a village of friends to cut down the cost of music, booze, food, dresses, and invitations. The mints were home-made and Joy helped make the cake. The reception went down in Lincoln history, and the happy couple returned from their honeymoon with 15 cents in their bank account. A few years later Joy and Dan moved to Kansas City, where they connected with several other Lincoln natives and made friendships that still last today. After moving back to Lincoln in 2001, Joy worked at Novartis, which became GSK, for 16 years. She loved hanging out with work friends for happy hours and birthday parties.

Joy loved to travel and enjoyed many group trips to sunny beaches. She loved umbrella drinks on the beach and gorging herself on fresh seafood and tropical desserts, especially lobster and toasted coconut cream pie. In Mexico, Joy vacationed in Zihuatanejo, Sayulita, Puerto Morales, and Cancun. In the Caribbean, she visited the Bahamas, Dominican Republic and Jamaica, with Negril West Jamaica being her favorite. Joy had an unnatural attraction to monkeys, which most likely is why she married Dan. She spent a week in the rainforest of Ecuador and was delighted to spot seven different types of monkeys during eco-tours. Every time, she screamed, “Look! Monkeys!” which resulted in her immediately being shushed by the birdwatchers on the tour who soon became Joy’s enemies because they did not like monkeys. Who doesn't love monkeys?

Joy had 15 nieces and nephews and was the cool aunt the kids could talk to about anything, including stuff they didn't want parents to know about. She listened and doled out advice consistent with her mantra: You got to play the cards that you are dealt. Joy loved the fact that after her heart attack the kids would call to check up on her and make sure she was OK. She loved cats and dogs, and, for the most part, got them to coexist peacefully in her house. Over the years she owned six dogs and three cats. She cherished them all and spoiled them rotten. Her favorite cat was Kid from Kansas City, a rescue who had been abused and had a huge bald spot on her back. Luckily, the cat couldn't see the bald spot and thought she was beautiful. Her favorite dog was Chief, a 200-pound English Mastiff who was a gentle giant and thought he was a lap dog. Joy loved hosting puppy play dates and always had treats for four-legged visitors.

Joy was preceded in death by her parents, Cliff Fringer, Arthur and Shirley Ryan, and her brothers, Pat Ryan and Ed Ryan. She is survived by her sisters, Linda Oliver, Cheryl Roper, Bonnie Rice, Sue Childress and Klara Schuman; brother, Larry Swanson; her sisters-in-law, Renae Mai and Therese Pekelder; brothers-in-law, Gary Roper, Don Rice, Jim Schuman, Mike Lee, S.J., and Mark Lee; aunts Jan, Hubba and Dorothy (Pork); 15 nieces and nephews; and many, many cousins. She is also survived by Puffy the cat and Dan the husband, who will miss her very much.

Joy’s ashes will be scattered in Negril West Jamaica and Maple Grove Cemetery in Guide Rock Nebraska. A Party of Joy will be held on November 8, 2024 at Courtside Banquet Hall, 333 Speedway Circle, from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. Memorials in Joy’s honor are designated to the Capital Humane Society and Friendship Home (both of Lincoln, Nebraska).