Biographies and Obituaries
In loving memory
Edker L. Lee
Washington Times-Herald
Wednesday, May 28, 2003, pg30
Edker L. "Ed" Lee, 89, 1411 Brett Cabel Road, died at 9:35 a.m. Sunday at his residence. He had been ill since March and seriously ill for a week.
Born February 15, 1914, in Washington, he was the son of Charles M. and Glenn Mae (Potts) Lee.
The owner and operator of the Ed Lee Mortuary, where he worked until April. Ed attended Longfellow School and graduated from Washington High School in 1932 as the class president. He was a member of Knights of Columbus where he held posts, Past Navigator 4th Degree, and Past Grand Knight 3rd Degree.
He was also a member of St. Simon's Church, Elks, Moose, American Legion, VFW, and the Indiana Funeral Directors Association.
Ed entered the U.S. Army on August 15, 1942, during World War II, and was discharged on February 20, 1946. He served as Captain in the 570th Ambulance Company in England, France, Austria and Luxemburg, Germany. He was on officers detail that set up casualty evacuation at Southampton, England docks. He was in charge of three docks there. He wrote that he remembered taking the first casualties on D-Day. They were British seamen whose vessel had crashed with another small attack ship going down the channel. He also worked for the 16th General Hospital; he was a Medical Unit Commander and an Ambulance Officer. He was awarded the American Campaign Servie Medal, the European African Middle Eastern Service Medal, the Victory Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medical. He was also a retired Major with the U.S. Army Reserve Corps.
Ed's career in funeral service began out of a friendship between Ed's father, Charles Lee, and the funeral home owner, Ed Keller. Ed Keller always remarked to Charles Lee that since he had all daughters, he sure would like to have a son to help him around the business. So Charles Lee told Ed Keller he would send his son, Ed, to work for him. So Ed began in this mortuary at age 15 as a sweep out boy in 1929, cleaning up after the carpenters as the building was being built. Ed became friends with the Kellers and he decided to go to mortuary school. He graduated from the Indiana College of Embalming in Indianapolis on June 2, 1939, and received his embalmers license on December 31, 1939. He came back to work for the Keller Mortuary until he entered the U.S. Army in August of 1952. While Ed was overseas, Ed Keller became ill and passed away. Mr. Keller's wife contacted Ed and said she would run the business until he returned home and then help him to buy the business, which he did in 1946. He then became affiliated with Ned Yor in 1952, who became his business partner. The name became Lee and York Mortuary. Mr. York became ill and quit the business and Ed changed the name to Ed L. Lee Mortuary in 1972.
Ed was awarded the State of Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash Award on October 18, 1995, by then Indaina Gov. Eva Bayh. He served as secretary/treasurer of St. John's Cemetery Association since 1950.
Over the years, Ed and his wife, Susan, have sponsored five foreign exchange students from Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Ecuador and Argentina.
He is survied by his wife, Susan (Phillips) Lee of Washington, whom he marred April 13, 1976; one daughter, Mrs. James (Charlotte) Dudley of Houston, Texas; one grandson, Barrett Dudley of Houston, Texas; and one brother, Robert P. Lee of Bunkie, Louisiana.
His son, Michael Lee died in an automobiles accident in February 1968.
Private funeral services for family and close friends will be at 11 a.m. Saturday. Burial will be in St. John's Cemetery.
Visitation is from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at the Ed Lee Mortuary. The wake service will be at 4:30 p.m.
The family requests memorials be made to St. John's Cemetery or Washington Catholic Education Endowment Fund.
(May 25, 2003)
NOTE: First Wife: Alice Elizabeth Tkac, md AUG 1943; dau of Robert Tkac
Contributed by: Sandra Hedrick Allen