Colonel William (Bill) E. Lee died peacefully Monday, October 22nd at Redstone Village, Huntsville, AL. He was born April 15, 1934 in Valdosta, GA as the oldest of three children. After graduating from Glynn Academy in Brunswick, GA, he briefly attended Armstrong College in Savannah, GA then transferred to Georgia Tech where he received his Electrical Engineering degree and commission in the U.S. Army. He married Betty Jane James August 12, 1956. January 1, 1957, he began active duty and served 27 years, including duty in Virginia, Oklahoma, Missouri, Idaho, Georgia, Louisiana, and Michigan. Overseas duty took him to Italy, Germany, Korea, Vietnam, and the Sinai desert in Egypt.
Colonel Lee’s career took him many places with fascinating work to do. In Italy he worked with Atomic Demolition Munitions. Returning to the U.S. he constructed missile silos in Oklahoma, Idaho, and Missouri. In Germany he served as Commander of the 559th Engineer Battalion building bridges. Korea involved building float bridges across the Han River. In Vietnam he built and repaired water tanks and purification systems for the Vietnamese people. In 1970 as Deputy District Engineer in New Orleans he fought floods and other disasters. Coming to Huntsville he served as Deputy Division Engineer with the Corps of Engineers. That job introduced him to the Multinational Force & Observers (MFO) work in the Sinai Desert. The MFO was established because of the Camp David Accords, fostered by President Jimmy Carter with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin attending. He was responsible for constructing all MFO facilities. He earned many awards and tributes during his 27-year career.
Wherever he went, he was involved in training others or being a student himself. While in Michigan he received his Masters Degree in Civil Engineering at Michigan Tech.
In his retirement years, Colonel Lee spent several years working on Space Station integration with Northrup Grumman and on the Redstone Village Board of Directors responsible for the planning and building of the retirement community. As the Project Engineer, he spent many days on site during construction.
During his varied Army assignments, Bill developed a strong interest in travel. He and Betty spent their free time traveling to many countries and experiencing life around the world. As they grew their family, encouraging them to meet their educational goals, he took great pride in their children’s accomplishments. Bill was an avid golfer and many other subjects captivated his interest. Family activities included many exciting ski trips through the years.
Bill spent much of his time in Bible Study, teaching Bible classes wherever he lived. In Huntsville, as a long-time member of First Baptist Church, he taught Sunday School and when Redstone Village opened he established a weekly Bible Study for residents.
Colonel Lee is survived by his wife of 62 years, Betty, and three children, Amy Gonzalez (Kenneth) of Decatur, AL, Andrew Lee (Michele) of Tuscaloosa, AL, and Laura Arant (Joseph) of Colorado Springs, CO; four granddaughters, Bethany Gonzalez, Megan Arant, Emily Arant, and Amanda Arant; sister, Sara Creed (David) of New York, NY; and sister-in-law, Hilda Glen McCoy of Dublin, GA. He was preceded in death by his parents, William E. Lee, Sr. and Mary Lee Moran Lee; and sister, Becky Lee Weyrich.
Visitation will be from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27th, at Laughlin Service Funeral Home in Huntsville. The funeral service will immediately follow in the chapel. Colonel Lee will be cremated and interred in a family plot at a later date in Palmetto Cemetery, Brunswick, GA.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to First Baptist Church Mosaic Missions in Huntsville, AL.
