Sharon Lee

Sharon June Lee passed away in East Jordan, Michigan on September 7, 2017, a victim of Alzheimer's. Sharon was born on June 25, 1930 on a farm near Paton, Iowa. Her family moved to Perry, Iowa when she was a small child. She graduated from Perry High School in 1948 and attended Simpson College where she earned her teaching certificate and went on to teach 2nd and 3rd graders in the Clinton School District in the early 1950s.

She met Robert (Bob) N. Lee in high school and shortly thereafter, they became the loves of each other's life. They were married in Perry in 1954 and she stopped teaching to raise a family. They moved to Des Moines where they had two boys, Tony and Timothy. She was a stay at home mom while Bob worked at Firestone in Des Moines. As the boys grew, Sharon decided to return to Simpson to complete her Bachelor of Education degree and return to teaching. Tragedy struck just before her final year at Simpson when their youngest son, Timothy, drowned in Lake Michigan. With incredible courage, she continued on and earned her degree in 1969 and went on to teach in the Des Moines school system. She started at Moulton and went to Douglas Elementary School in the early 1970s. She loved teaching 3rd graders and influenced hundreds of lives throughout her career. Sharon was the State of Iowa Teacher of the Year in 1983-84.

Sharon retired from teaching in 1992. She and Bob moved to Ankeny, Iowa and traveled whenever they could to visit friends and family across the country until Bob died. Sharon moved to Petoskey, Michigan in 2011 to be close to her son and daughter-in-law. She loved living Up North among the wildlife and trilliums while still being in a suburban environment. She even did the Mackinac Bridge Walk.

Sharon is survived by her son, Tony Lee, and his wife, Mary, along with their 3 children, Doug, Christine, and David, five great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren, all in Michigan. She is also survived by three very dear nieces, Chris Koch, Karen (Doug) James and Sharon Reese and many great-nieces/nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Robert, her son Timothy, her sister Shirley, her nephew, Greg, and her great-grandson, Kevin. There will be a private memorial service with family members at Violet Hill Cemetery in Perry.

She is at peace and is missed by many.

Arrangements are being handled by the Winchester Chapel of Mortensen Funeral Homes.