Robert E. Lee

Robert E. Lee

Beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, Bob Lee, passed away peacefully at Villa Maria, Saturday, October 22nd surrounded by his loving family.

On August 15, 1928, Clarence and Ellen Weatherhead Lee, welcomed their youngest baby boy into the world in Moorhead, Minnesota. Robert Eugene Francis Lee attended school at St. Joseph’s, Moorhead High, and Moorhead State, playing football and basketball.

Bob sold real estate in Baltimore, MD until he was called up for the Korean War. He served in the Marine Corps and distinguished himself by earning “Honor Man” in his platoon and gaining two purple hearts. Semper Fi. His platoon served longer on the front lines than any other in the war, and Bob weighed ninety-seven pounds when he returned. Always a fighter in the best sense of the word, he regained his strength and began working at Lee’s Cash Grocery in North Moorhead, which his father founded.

A cute redhead came into that store and caught his eye, and he and Joyce Henderson were married at St. Francis de Sales Church on March 2, 1957. Bob accepted a job with the railway mail, and they moved to Minneapolis with their first child. But it wasn’t long before they moved back, had three more children, and became life-long residents of Moorhead.

At the Post Office for thirty-one years, Bob was postal carrier, clerk and then manager. He was the “Santa” who answered every letter addressed to the North Pole. He also worked part-time at Tri-State Auction.

He and Joyce were active members of St. Francis de Sales Church in North Moorhead. Bob was on the parish council, the finance council and founded the “Tiger Booster Club.” He was also active in the VFW, the American Legion and the Knights of Columbus, chairing the State Convention in 1972.

Bob loved to golf, and played many a round or three!, entering quite a few tournaments. He also enjoyed pinochle and amazing everyone with his card tricks. Bob was a writer, and penned a column for the Valley Times and Moorhead Monitor called, “Jest for the Halibut.” Bob was known for his sense of humor, but was a tender soul at heart. He published a poem entitled, “It’s Hard to be Human at a Time Like This”, about their beloved son, James, who passed away far too young.

Bob invented board games, golf supplies, and wrote two books, “The Night Before Easter” and “Ten Tempting Tales” which he published for his grandchildren.

He was a beloved dad who was always there to listen, throw a baseball, referee a game in the neighborhood, or throw on a pair of old skates and carve out a few rounds on the ice with his kids. He and Joyce attended every single event their children and grandchildren ever participated in. His grandchildren had a catch phrase: “Grandpa’s the Greatest Guy in the Whole World.” He really was.

Bob’s family and bedrock faith were at the heart and soul of everything he did. His greatest legacy is the prayers and rosaries that he said every day, and we believe are still descending upon us all like the dewfall.

Bob will be sorely missed by his beloved wife of sixty years, Joyce, daughters, Liz Terry Flaherty, Linda Michael Sand, and Trish David Cameron. And his beloved grandchildren James, Erin, Louis, Nathaniel, Abram, Sam, Elliot, Anne, Nick, and the apple of his eye, his great-granddaughter, Monica.

He was preceded in death by his beloved son James, his parents Clarence and Ellen, and his siblings, Cecelia Silseth, Clarence Lee, Dan Lee and Mary Jane Pfau.

Visitation: Wednesday, October 26, 2016, from 5:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. with a prayer service at 7:00 P.M. in Wright Funeral Home, Moorhead.
Mass of Christian Burial: Thursday, October 27, 2016, at 11:00 A.M. in St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, Moorhead.
Interment: St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery, Moorhead.
Video tribute and online guestbook at www.wrightfuneral.com