On August 15, 2022 in Huntsville, Alabama, William Edward Lee died peacefully in his sleep with family members at his side. He was 92. He is now at peace in the presence of the Lord and reunited with his beloved wife Elizabeth Lee.
Affectionately known as “Paw-Paw” to his family and “Bill” to his friends, he was born in Huntsville’s Dallas Mill Village on March 3, 1930. He was one of 6 children and had 3 brothers and 2 sisters.
He graduated from Rison High School in 1949 and soon married his high school sweetheart, Thelma Elizabeth Eaton. Theirs was truly a match made in heaven. For 65 years, their marriage was a shining example of true love and devotion.
In 1951, Bill began work at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) as a metal fabrication specialist. He worked on programs such as Gemini and Apollo, which took men to the moon. In 1968, Bill began working at the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS). The NBS or “water tank” was 40 feet deep and large enough to accommodate full scale mockups of NASA space hardware. Bill was certified as a SCUBA diver and began work as a safety diver for astronaut training activities. These mission training exercises took place underwater in the tank to simulate the weightlessness of outer space. Bill was eventually promoted to Deck Chief of the NBS. His job was to coordinate and facilitate the many mission training activities at the simulator. Working from the top of the tank, he assisted many astronauts in completing their mission training. Skylab was one of the main NASA missions he supported in this role. After over 20 years of civil service work at MSFC, William retired from NASA in 1974.
Everyone who was fortunate enough to know him was touched by Bill’s extraordinary love and kindness. He had a large and loving heart for family, friends and strangers alike. There is no telling how many people he secretly helped during his lifetime. Through every triumph and every tragedy, he was always there for anyone in need, ready to wrap his loving arms around them.
Bill Lee was truly a man of God and was one of the best Christian men his family and friends have ever known. He lived his life as a Godly man and always put God first. He was full of love, compassion and strong faith. He demonstrated his faith not by boasting but by daily example. He would always be the first to pray for anyone who needed the healing touch of God.
Outside of his faith, family and friends, Bill had two true loves: fishing and Alabama Crimson Tide football. It was a most wonderful day when he was fishing on Guntersville Lake while listening to Bama football on the radio.
Whether you called him William or Bill or Paw-Paw or Daddy, his was truly a life well lived. He will be greatly missed by so many people whose lives he touched.
William is survived by his three children Steve Lee (Jan), Kathy Lee (David), and Mark Lee (Mary), 7 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and 2 brothers, Glenn Lee (Hilda) and Daryl Lee (Margaret Ann).
He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Elizabeth Lee; his parents, William B. Lee and Josie M. Lee; one brother, Howard “Chig” Lee; two sisters, Geneva Davis and Ophelia Ealy; one grandson Jared Lee; one great granddaughter; Adley Horton and hundreds of very dear friends.
We can only imagine the great reunion celebration that is happening in Heaven at this very moment …
The family will receive friends beginning at 1 PM on Tuesday, August 23 at Spry Funeral Home. The memorial service will be held in the Spry Chapel at 3 PM. Interment will immediately follow at Maple Hill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Alzheimer’s Association.
