James Phillip Lee

James Phillip Lee, 66, of Fort Dodge, passed away Sunday, March 16, 2014 at the Paula J. Baber Hospice Home in Fort Dodge. The memorial mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday March 21, 2014 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. The visitation will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. with a vigil service at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday at Gunderson Funeral Home & Cremation Services. Jim was born in Algona, IA on August 31, 1947 to Dr. Robert and Burdine (Mathias) Lee. He grew up in Fort Dodge and graduated from St. Edmond High School in 1966. He then went on to attend the University of Nebraska - Omaha. He served in the U.S. Army, Army Reserves and the National Guard over a period of 25 years retiring at the rank of Major. He married Suzanne Orres in October of 1969 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Fort Dodge and they were married for 32 years until she passed away in 2002. Over the years he worked for Gus Glazer and Hormels. He owned and operated Lee Enterprise for 17 years and from 1999 to 2002 he worked for the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility. In April of 2008 he married Sharon Neumann at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. He was a member of the Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Knights ...[more]

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Columbus, Fort Dodge Stoneware Collectors Society, Kiwanis and the American Legion in AZ. He loved spending time with his family and grandchildren. Over the years he enjoyed many adventures with his good friend Richard Lennon. He enjoyed horseback riding, especially in the mountains of Arizona with his friend Dr. Richard Holm and he was very appreciative of his friend Jack Riley for giving his horse Scout a good home when he could no longer ride. He also enjoyed antiquing, refinishing antique furniture and was a collector of many things. He also loved visiting with his friends at Tom Messerly's Body Shop. Jim is survived by his wife Sharon; his daughters Jamie (Tim) McFadden of Colorado Springs, CO and Jodie (Nico) Santacroce of Bluffton, SC; step-daughters Jamie (Steve) Shaffer of Independence, IA and Lara (Darin) Cunningham of Yankton, SD; his parents Dr. Robert and Burdine Lee of Omaha, NE; his grandchildren Alessio and Lorenzo Santacroce; step-grandchildren Tristan Neumann of Phoenix, AZ, Shaye Caldwell of Denver, CO, Jimmie, Jacob and Jordyn Cunningham of Yankton, SD; his siblings Dr. William (Valerie) Lee of Middleburg, VA, Dr. Thomas (Karen) Lee of Copley, OH, Dr. Marcia (Dr. John) Kelly of Duluth, GA, Mary (Steve) Penney of Marion, IA, Laura McQueen of Omaha, NE and Christine (Dr. George) Greene of Omaha, NE and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his first wife Suzanne. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, son, brother and friend and he will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be left to the Paula J. Baber Hospice Home or the Cancer Center at Trinity Regional Medical Center.