Obituary of Louise Katherine Lee

LEE, Louise Stevens (nee Louise Katherine Stevens), 88, formerly of Stratford, CT, died on Wednesday, April 22, 2015 in Woodstock, CT. She will be deeply missed by her husband and best friend of 64 years, Paul Irving Lee. Louise was born in Cambridge, MA in 1926 to the late Katherine Anthes Stevens and the late Frank Lyman Stevens. Her childhood was spent in Watertown, MA and later in Garden City, NY. She was a graduate of Garden City High School and subsequently Colby Junior College in New London, NH. She was a secretary in the President’s Office of Harvard University, and later secretary of the Department of Music, also at Harvard. In 1951 Louise married Paul Lee and moved to Stratford, CT where she was a wonderful mother to her three children Jeff, Jeanne, and Jonathan. She and Paul relocated in 1987 to Woodstock. Louise was an active member of the First Congregational Church of Stratford and the First Congregational Church of Woodstock. Her many friends were attracted by her strong sense of values, honesty, etiquette, and personal moral strength, all of which she imparted to her children and grandchildren. In the later years of her life she demonstrated a will to live with grace that inspired all who knew her. She was, in the very best sense of the word, the family matriarch. She was also a skilled pianist, ardent playgoer, and omnivorous reader. She and Paul travelled widely on every continent except Antarctica, often on birding expeditions and frequently with their dear friends Jim and Ella McCullough. Though London and Switzerland were very special to her, the best place of all was home. Louise was a stalwart fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Boston Red Sox, and the athletic teams of Harvard College. In addition to her husband, Louise is survived by her son Jeffrey Lee and his partner Karen Outerson of Norwalk, CT, her daughter Jeanne Landin and her husband the Reverend Kenneth Landin of Franklin, MA, and her son the Reverend Doctor Jonathan Lee and his wife the Reverend Bridget Fidler of West Hartford, CT. She is also survived by her six adoring grandchildren Katherine Grenon, Marta Ekstrom, Jonathan Lee, Andrew Lee, Samuel Dean-Lee, and Skyler Dean-Lee. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to a Memorial Service at the First Congregational Church of Woodstock, CT on May 23 at 1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Louise Lee Memorial Fund at the First Congregational Church of Woodstock, 543 Route 169, Woodstock, CT 06281.