John K Lee, Iii

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) John K Lee, III, 80, died peacefully on Tuesday, March 15.  He was a loving and devoted husband and father, and a man of deep faith.  His strength of character, personal resolve, and dedication to family enabled him to greatly enrich the lives of all he loved.  He was blessed with a keen intellect and a kind and congenial heart.  He constantly brought laughter and good cheer to others.  We are grateful for his life and love and we will miss him deeply. Surviving are his wife, Patricia B Lee; daughter, Susan K Lee; sons, Steven and Ken (Dina) Lee; sister, Ginger Garvin; and brother, Robert Lee.  He was preceded in death by his parents, John K Lee, Jr. and Margaret Byerly Lee, and his first wife, Shirley Ann Lee. After serving in the U.S. Army, John earned his degree at Rider College, briefly worked at Johnson & Johnson, and then embarked on a long and highly successful career with IBM.  During that time, John married Shirley Ann Dotts.  Together, they raised three children (Ken, Steven and Susan) and lived throughout the United States. John was able to retire by age 53.   Soon after that, John married Patricia Bryant and enjoyed many wonderful years with Pat, their abundant and kind friends in the community, his golf buddies, and the congregations and community of faith at their church. In recent years, John’s health declined dramatically.  He and his family took great strength from and are very grateful for the support, kindness and compassion of their friends, community of faith, and caregivers Lamin Sanneh, Mary Harris and Peggy Bruchette. John’s life will be celebrated in a Service of Death and Resurrection at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, April 2, 2016 at Benson Memorial United Methodist Church, 4706 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh, NC 27612. The family will receive relatives and friends prior to the service from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the church. Entombment will be in Arlington Memorial Park, Sandy Springs, GA. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Children’s Flight of Hope (1101 Aviation Parkway, Suite D, Morrisville NC 27560; http://www.childrensflightofhope.org/); Benson Memorial United Methodist Church Building Fund (4706 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh, NC 27612; http://www.bensonmemorial.org/); Transitions LifeCare (250 Hospice Circle Raleigh, NC 27607; http://transitionslifecare.org/); Cure Alzheimers Fund (34 Washington St., Suite 200, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481; http://curealz.org/).